


because it is my heart

by crossbelladonna



Series: all the stories are true [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen, M/M, alas there is angst but not much, no need for much TMI knowledge beforehand, the mortal instruments au i came up with
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-11 23:57:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7076008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crossbelladonna/pseuds/crossbelladonna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daichi opens his mouth to say something but then closes it again as he stares at the person in amazement. He’s wearing flashy, neon pajamas with various shrimp prints and there’s a black feathery hat attached to his gray hair.<br/>The warlock notices Daichi’s silence and turns his gaze to him, smiling softly and Daichi sees the slits of brown cat’s eyes and the dainty little mole near his right eye.<br/>And he thinks: <i>Wow, he’s beautiful. If I weren’t so afraid—</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Voyance

**Author's Note:**

> for ppl who haven’t read the Mortal Instruments:  
> Downworlders – supernatural folk  
> Shadowhunters/Nephilim – they hunt demons and bad Downworlders  
> Mundane/Mundie – normal humans  
> Parabatai – Shadowhunters who fight together as lifelong partners
> 
> though you dont actually need much TMI knowledge bc i have it explained either way. this took so long to write you have no idea cries. this is a finished work actually! it's just broken into six chapters and i'll be updating every few days. enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t be so hard on them. Hey, I won’t even charge you if you don’t start swinging your seraph blade right here.”  
> “I might smack them, just a bit.”  
> Sugawara is definitely amused. He goes over the coffee maker and takes out two mugs to fill.  
> “Coffee, Daichi?” he offers, smiling.

"But I like it

Because it is bitter,

And because it is my heart."

— "The Heart" Stephen Crane

 

***

 

Daichi wakes up to a sight of a ceiling that is unfamiliar to him and otherwise not his and he doesn’t remember why he should be looking at this particular ceiling in the first place because he doesn’t remember anything from last night. He doesn’t even know when he had passed out.

He sits up, realizes he’s on a couch as the springs creak under his weight and he blinks the sleep away from his eyes as he surveys the somehow empty living room.

A very messy and empty living room.

Daichi frowns, seeing—confetti? Is that confetti?—and glitter all over the floor. There are still flute glasses on the living room table and even on the shelves lined on the wall, half empty with suspicious looking liquid, some are even sparkling, some filled with odd colors. One of the sofas is overturned and Daichi gets up to put it upright, seeing more of the mess on the short way there.

There are rune books scattered on the floor and bottles of alcohol and Daichi only comes to that _oh_ this is an aftermath of a party. A supernatural party by the likes of it. A party he doesn’t remember going nor leaving either since he woke up here. A party he probably didn’t enjoy that much seeing how he’s showing no signs of being hungover.

Daichi’s already ticking down possible Downworlders he knows who may be the root of this when he notices the weird bottles also lined on the shelves and he swears there’s an eye inside one of them and is not mistaken to believe it’s one of _those_ kind.

No one throws greater parties than warlocks.

Still, there’s no sign of said warlock and the entire apartment seems too quiet not when it’s already (Daichi checks the shimmering wall clock) close to twelve in the afternoon. Perhaps he should just leave. Are there any sorts of manners to follow when leaving someone’s home you passed out of without knowing? He can’t really remember.

Daichi pats his pockets for his phone; he’s got to call Ennoshita, gotta tell him to give Tanaka and Nishinoya hell for leaving him behind here and groans in dismay when he doesn’t find his phone _and_ his—

 _Holy shit_. Daichi is obviously not panicking as he’s looking around frantically for his—why isn’t it _here_ he brings it everywhere—

_Meow._

What? Daichi looks up mid-crouch and hears another soft meow coming behind the couch he woke up on and when he slowly walks around it he sees, unsurprisingly, a rather small, white tabby staring up at him with eyes almost too intelligent for a cat.

“I didn’t steal anything, I promise.” Daichi tells the cat, just in case.

“Are you talking to my cat?”

Daichi yelps back loudly in a start, so ungraceful you would think he wasn’t born trained for combat. When he’s particularly sure the cat wasn’t the one who talked back he looks up and sees a person leaning against the doorway pillars, batting away confetti strings attached to the ceiling.

Daichi opens his mouth to say something but then closes it again as he stares at the person in amazement. He’s wearing flashy, neon pajamas with various shrimp prints and there’s a black feathery hat attached to his gray hair.

The warlock notices Daichi’s silence and turns his gaze to him, smiling softly and Daichi sees the slits of brown cat’s eyes and the dainty little mole near his right eye.

And he thinks: _Wow, he’s beautiful. If I weren’t so afraid_ —

Daichi steps back immediately, trying to look threatening as he fishes for his seraph blade and forgetting—

The warlock chuckles softly, a lovely sound like tiny chiming bells. He raises his hands in mock surrender.

“I have your seraph blade,” he says and lowers his hand to count with his fingers. “And your stele, and your phone…”

“Wha—”

He snaps his fingers and blue sparks appear on his fingers as the said items appear on his hand.

“Your friends left it with me after what happened to you,” the warlock continues, sounding amused. He’s enjoying this, really. He walks towards Daichi but stops at a reasonable distance before placing Daichi’s things on the floor.

Daichi’s eyebrows are knit in confusion.

“Happened…to me?” he mumbles, then louder. “What happened to me?”

The warlock blinks.

“Oh. You don’t remember? You drank a faerie drink by accident and it knocked you out completely.” He sounds smug.

Daichi narrows his eyes. “Then they _left_ me.”

The warlock shrugs. “It was a great party. For my cat you know?” he motions to his cat fondly and it walks up and rubs against him. “They probably had too much fun and forgot. Well I treated you well, so no problem there, Nephilim.”

Daichi’s definitely going to kick Nishinoya and Tanaka’s ass later.

The warlock walks away. “I’m Sugawara Koushi, by the way. You can call me Suga. Not to be confused with my cat whose name is Sugar,” Sugawara pets said cat affectionately as he says it.

Daichi’s left standing there as he watches Sugawara walk to presumably, the kitchen so reluctantly, he follows, grabbing his things as he continues listening to Sugawara talking, now with Sugar in his arms.

“I’m the High Warlock of Tokyo. Often throwing parties when I get bored for Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike though you guys usually get a little pissy by the end of it,” Sugawara says conversationally, waving his fingers around, blue sparks landing on kitchen ware and they move on their own, and soon the stove is alight and a pan and a spatula are cooking an omelet by itself and the coffee maker starts brewing.

Sugawara looks at Daichi again, smiling soothingly.

“I haven’t seen you before so I assume you’re from a different Institute.”

“I-I’m from Sendai,” Daichi stammers and he thinks, why the heck is he stammering? In his defense, it’s not always frequent for him to see attractive warlocks at such close distance.

“Oh,” Sugawara says, nodding as he strokes Sugar’s fur. Daichi notices he’s slightly taller than Sugawara and this is cool, he is fine.

“I’m Sawamura. Daichi. Sawamura Daichi, you can call me Daichi,” he stumbles yet again.

Sugawara’s eyes are mesmerizing. Even mesmerizing when they are grinning.

“I know,” he says. “Your friends were like, ‘What did you make Daichi-san drink?’ ‘He’s fainted!’ I got it all from there.”

Daichi starts planning intricate death threats.

Sugawara laughs, setting Sugar down who immediately sprints away.

“Don’t be so hard on them. Hey, I won’t even charge you if you don’t start swinging your seraph blade right here.”

“I might smack them, just a bit.”

Sugawara is definitely amused. He goes over the coffee maker and takes out two mugs to fill.

“Coffee, Daichi?” he offers, smiling.

 

*

 

Daichi forgets about the thoughts of smacking Nishinoya and Tanaka when he gets back to the Institute, almost dazed, Sugawara’s lovely laughter still in his ears and he wonders for a moment if warlocks are supposed to have this effect on people though knowing that he’s no mundane, this might be entirely just him.

He’s walking up the staircase when he spots Takeda zooming down towards him, worry all over his face and Daichi doesn’t really see him until he’s latched on to Daichi in a rib-crunching hug.

“ _Daichi!_ Oh, by the Angel, I was so worried!” The Institute head gushes when he lets go. He looks positively concerned and he’s patting Daichi’s cheek repeatedly. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Ryuu and Noya said—”

“Oh? What did they say?” Daichi interrupts, thoughts going back to the threatening tone and Takeda clicks his tongue.

“They said they left you to Sugawara’s care, which is fine but I still had to tell them off because they left you there and you’re still new around here…”

“I’ll tell them off, alright.”

Takeda scowls disapprovingly. “And you too! Don’t go drinking things you don’t know!”

Daichi purses his lips. _Woops_. Gotta turn the topic back to the perpetrators fast.

“Are they here?” Daichi wants to know and luckily, Takeda is steered that way again. He looks like a stressed parent.

“They are, I’m sure they’ve already heard you come in—”

“DAICHI-SAN!!”

There are twin shouts in different pitches that has Daichi stiffening and Takeda jumping in surprise.

Tanaka and Nishinoya are running down the steps towards them, clad in black gear and arms full of freshly done runes.

To Daichi’s satisfaction at least, there are at least two runes there for relief of dizziness.

They both stop two steps away as though scared Daichi would smack them right there as though he could anyway, with Takeda standing between them.

“Boys,” Takeda chides.

“We’re really sorry, Daichi-san!” Nishinoya exclaims.

“We didn’t mean to leave you behind!” Tanaka adds.

There’s a swift bout of irritation from Daichi and he quietly chants _Takeda-san is here_ in his head.

“Suga-san did say it was fine with him,” Tanaka says, carefully.

The irritation immediately dissipates.

“Oh. Sugawara.” Daichi mumbles.

Nishinoya bounces on his heels excitedly.

“Yeah! He’s cute isn’t he?”

Cute. Right. _Right._

The two of them leave when Ennoshita comes around shouting from the weapons room and they both scamper away quickly, Daichi looking after them with a grimace.

“You’re alright though?” Takeda follows up. “Let’s get you a healing rune, just in case.”

“No, really it’s all good, Takeda-san,” Daichi smiles. “Thanks.”

They hear someone jogging to the door and they glance to see Oikawa who gasps when he sees them too.

“Um, haha…hi,” he mumbles, slowly inching for the door. He’s not wearing any gear and there’s glamour hiding the runes on his arms. Casual wear too, definitely wanting to go somewhere. He waves at Daichi though. “Good to see you got back okay.”

Daichi nods, smiling. “Thanks.”

“Off to somewhere, Tooru?” Takeda asks kindly.

Oikawa’s gaze shifts to them, then to the floor, then back again.

“Er, yeah…you can say that!” he chuckles sheepishly. “But! I’ve done my chores! I watered the plants in the greenhouse and I’ve arranged the witchlight in the library and I sparred with Ennoshita earlier this morning so I’m definitely free for sure!”

Back to the floor again. “I just, well I just wanted to see Iwa—” he breaks off, looking at Takeda earnestly.

Takeda laughs softly, waving a hand.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t. Just wondering where you’re going off to, you don’t want me to worry for you too like I did with Daichi.”

 _Yikes._ Daichi and Oikawa exchange glances before sharing a laugh.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Oikawa says, relief evident in his face.

“Say hi to that mundie for me,” Takeda tells him and Oikawa looks like he’s about to cry with happiness. He bows at them once and then he’s running off.

Daichi looks at Takeda warmly. He’s always looked after them like they’re his children despite that they’re practically trained warriors. He’s always been pretty lenient too—mundane and Shadowhunter relationships are usually frowned upon though better times have come.

“Thanks.” Daichi tells him. He’s just been transferred here from Sendai a few weeks back and somehow he’s already part of those “children”.

Takeda claps him on the back, grinning.

“Don’t be silly.”

 

Training with weapons and seraph blades always takes a lot to get used to and even though they’ve lived to nineteen years of this, weapons wielded by Shadowhunters can still somehow be tricky. Some have been blessed by the Angel, some casted on by some magic they won’t know of until they see it, so when they were practicing with archery one time and there was a sudden explosion, everyone moved like lightning.

It’s Ennoshita this time, Daichi sees as they’re wheeling him to the Institute infirmary and his gut lurches with a bad feeling as he catches up with the rest of them.

Takeda and his partner, Ukai are hovering over Ennoshita who’s grimacing on the infirmary bed, clutching his arm. There’s blood on the sheets though thankfully not too much. At least, Daichi thinks, not so much that would be considered fatal.

Tanaka and Nishinoya are standing beside Daichi, peering over his shoulder fretfully as they watch Ukai brandishing his stele and writing runes on Ennoshita’s arm that doesn’t seem to be working.

“Should we call…?” Takeda whispers to Ukai who’s scowling deeply, trying to figure out what to do.

Ennoshita groans loudly as another rune fails and Ukai finally relents.

“Alright, go. Make it quick.” He orders.

Takeda turns to them, looking stern and even more parental than he seems to be.

“Ryuu, I need you to send a fire message to Suga, please. Noya, go tell Asahi to get ingredients from the basement ready in case Suga needs some,” he tells them and they bark a quick _Understood_ and they’re gone.

Takeda turns to Daichi now with a strained smile “Daichi, you’re the best at runes. We need help with Chikara.”

“Of course,” is Daichi’s immediate answer.

There’s sweat beading on Ennoshita’s forehead and he’s got his eyes open though he’s unfocused and he’s clenching his jaw. Ukai has laid his left arm out, and there’s a long laceration from the inside of the elbow to the wrist. The healing runes that Ukai had placed earlier had stopped the bleeding but the wound doesn’t seem to be closing up.

Daichi moves closer, stele in hand. He pats Ennoshita’s hand to get his attention and Ennoshita focuses on him momentarily.

“Bear with it for a second okay?” Daichi tells him and Ennoshita nods feebly.

Daichi begins at the tip of the wound and with the stele glowing in his hand, he writes above it.

A swirl, a line, a dance of glowing runes.

_Close._

The rune remains on Ennoshita’s skin for a second before it disappears and the wound stitches itself, again for a second and then Ennoshita hisses, body lurching off the bed and Ukai holds him down. The wound is slowly opening again.

Daichi’s heart is pounding, his hand slightly shaking.

“It’s the bow and arrow he used,” Takeda whispers fretfully.

“We can’t break binding spells that easily.” Ukai says.

“Can I try again?” Daichi asks, thoughts whirring in his head but the pair looks hesitant. “I may know what it is if I try again.”

They all look at Ennoshita who’s breathing heavily. Ennoshita eyes Daichi and to their disbelief, he utters a pained chuckle.

“Go ahead,” he says.

And Daichi gets at it, the tip of the wound to the wrist.

A swirl, a line and three circles. The rune glows on Ennoshita’s skin for a few seconds.

_Reveal._

It comes as fast at goes in a blink of an eye but an outline of a key, glowing on Ennoshita’s skin like a rune, shows itself then disappears and Ennoshita hisses once more, breaths coming out in pants.

“That bow and arrow,” Daichi says. “is probably ancient. It has an old enchantment, only made to obey its owner and backfires to anyone else who uses it.”

There’s a brief pause.

“He’ll be fine.” Takeda says, shakily.

The doors slam open loudly and they all look up and see Sugawara gliding in, clad in a very immaculate gray suit, the same color as his hair. Tanaka and Nishinoya are following him, Asahi too, pushing a small cart full of jars.

Daichi gapes at Sugawara, almost awed. It’s their second meeting and it had to be a bad time. And yet he still looks impeccable as ever.

Sugawara walks up to them calmly. “Now, now, let me have a look at him, please.”

They all move away and he sidles next to Ennoshita looking sad.

“Didn’t anyone tell you not to play with old toys?” Sugawara tells him.

Ennoshita cracks a small smile. “S-Sorry—Suga-san,”

Sugawara flashes him a brilliant grin. He looks over to the rest of them and considerately goes, “You can leave now if you want. I can manage.”

Daichi instinctively steps closer and Sugawara turns his smile to him curiously.

Ukai is already ushering the others out of the infirmary. Daichi doesn’t budge.

“Daichi, let’s go.” Takeda tells him gently.

“Can I stay?” Daichi asks Sugawara instead.

Sugawara raises a fair eyebrow. “If you want to.”

He does.

 

“You can stay behind me,” Sugawara tells him, standing at the foot of Ennoshita’s bed. “You can’t touch me when things go blue though, okay, Nephilim?”

Daichi nods and Sugawara flashes his cat’s eyes at him and winks.

 _Winks_. Unbelievable.

Sugawara faces Ennoshita now. “Relax,” he says.

He extends his arms out, snapping his fingers and there’s a sudden, almost immediate drop in room temperature and then his hands catches fire, blue sparks dancing across his palm and Daichi is mesmerized.

“ _Reveal old enchantment,_ ” Sugawara begins. “ _bound by blood to ancient magic,_ ”

And Daichi watches, his eyes trained on Sugawara’s back as the warlock whispers and chants, blue sparks emitting from his hands and out of all the astounding things he’s seen in this line of life, Daichi’s glad to see one of the best ones.

 

Ennoshita passes out halfway through Sugawara’s healing and breaking the binding spell, a very tedious process and thankfully, he’s safe now though Daichi doesn’t leave anyway, should anything happen.

Sugawara finishes as the sun rises, clearly tired but somehow managing to smile at Daichi nevertheless.

“You should go rest,” Sugawara tells him.

Daichi raises his eyebrows, incredulous.

“ _You_ should go rest,” he throws back. “You’ve been using your energy the entire night.”

Sugawara runs a hand through his hair, exhaling.

“Ancient spells are the toughest to break but,” Sugawara eyes Daichi coyly. “Good thing I can last long then huh?”

Daichi blinks, his cheeks flushing for some reason and Sugawara laughs playfully.

“I’ll check up on him again later. I’ll be back,” Sugawara says as he walks away, fluttering his fingers at Daichi. “See you.”

 

Ennoshita finally wakes just as Nishinoya is bringing them both breakfast and Daichi had to manhandle Nishinoya away before he can pounce on Ennoshita.

“CHIKARA YOU’RE ALIVE!!”

“You’ll bet he’ll actually die if you’ll just go pouncing on him—”

Ennoshita laughs weakly. “Just when I thought I’ll have some peace and quiet in this household.”

Daichi lets Nishinoya go, allowing Ennoshita to give him quick hug of reassurance before Daichi pulls him away again.

“Oh! Suga-san left earlier to change but I think he’s back here now,” Nishinoya says and then like always, Daichi’s hearing zeroes in on that name.

Ennoshita groans. “Man, I’m sorry for all the trouble.”

Nishinoya grins. “He doesn’t seem very troubled. He was all, ‘That Daichi of yours stayed up all night with me!’ and ‘Daichi sure has an iron will.’”

Nishinoya and Ennoshita are cackling.

“ _Shut up_ ,” Daichi snaps at them. “He didn’t say that.” _Did he?_

Nishinoya’s teasing laughter continues.

“He did! Maybe. I was paraphrasing.”

“You little—”

“Oh! Great, you’re still here.”

All eyes turn to the door where Sugawara is peering, looking well-rested than the last time he was around.

Nishinoya goes to greet him, finding a leeway to escape as he does, throwing one last joking grin to Daichi’s direction before disappearing down the hall.

Sugawara did change out of his suit. He’s wearing white pants now with a black shirt that has metallic studs on the shoulder pads. He walks over confidently towards Ennoshita’s bed, smiling beatifically like usual.

“How’re you feeling?” Sugawara asks him and Ennoshita smiles.

“Much better, thank you, Suga-san.”

That makes Sugawara look even happier.

“Wonderful. Let me see your arm.”

Ennoshita does so and Sugawara takes his time, somehow finding this the right moment to talk to Daichi too.

“How are you doing, Daichi?” Sugawara wants to know, all pleasantly.

Daichi fidgets, knowing Ennoshita’s looking at him with that knowing smile too.

“I’m good thanks,” Daichi says.

Sugawara hums.

“That’s great. Good thing you didn’t grow bunny ears or something,” Sugawara grins.

Automatically, Daichi’s hands goes to the top of his head as though he’s expecting actual bunny ears to be present there and he feels mortified.

“Oh that’s…that’d be terrible.”

“I think,” Sugawara says. “It would look adorable.” His smile alone can break a couple of enchantments.

Ennoshita is looking back and forth at the exchange, looking very fascinated and interested as he shoots knowing glances to Daichi’s side, amused by his reddening cheeks.

Sugawara suddenly pokes him on his side though and Ennoshita jumps with a yelp.

“That’ll teach you to be mindful of several things alright? Especially the really old, nasty ones. You lot have so many of those dangerous armory and you still had to choose the ancient one! _Shadowhunters._ ”

Ennoshita pats his side, grinning sheepishly.

“Gotcha, Suga-san.”

Sugawara’s departure for the second time is a wink and a flourish of blue sparks and he just might have taken Daichi’s heart with him too.

 

Daichi soon learns a lot of things about the High Warlock of Tokyo.

He learns that his smile is apparently as brilliant as his magic, the only magical thing he gives for free. That he has the best parties in the city and it’s usually in honor of his cat. That he’s the most reliable person to go to when you have several magical woes and probably not the easiest to please when it comes to payment.

Daichi also learns however, that Sugawara is probably the only warlock in the area that Takeda and Ukai really trust which is why when they’re needed in Idris, the home city of Shadowhunters, the portal job always goes to Sugawara.

They’re all standing outside the Institute waiting for the warlock to arrive—Nishinoya and Tanaka bothering a few butterflies gathered around a bush, Asahi and Ennoshita looking at them with distaste though Asahi looks more troubled, and Oikawa’s rocking back and forth on his heels, hands on his back and smiling slightly.

“Going to see your friend again today?” Daichi asks him and Oikawa’s smile grows wider.

“Maybe~”

Daichi chuckles, leaving it at that when he sees Oikawa’s private smile.

He turns his gaze to the early morning sunlight instead. The sun is making beautiful patterns on the Institute roof, the red tiles shining despite their age, pillars still shining gold and the eternal carved runes at its base still holding strong.

To mundanes, the Institute would be just another run down shrine up on the hill in the city, the strong glamour around the threshold preventing them from seeing it as Daichi sees it in its glory—the forest surrounding them giving them sheltered training grounds, the _torii_ still holding its weight, the stairs leading up to the gates lined with protection.

Daichi knows Sugawara has arrived when Nishinoya and Tanaka starts yelling.

“Noisy,” Oikawa pouts.

Sugawara walks over to them, smiling dazzlingly.

“Good morning!” he says and Daichi smiles stiffly.

Sugawara’s wearing dark green pants today and a metallic sweater that has _GET WREKT_ imprinted on his front. Daichi supposes this would look disastrous on any other person here but it looks particularly fine on him.

“Good morning,” Oikawa coos. “You look well.”

Sugawara laughs softly. “So do you.”

Takeda and Ukai meet them shortly afterwards, chatting with Sugawara briefly before giving him space to conjure a portal.

Everyone closes their eyes at the initial strong blue light that appears as the glassy surface of the portal forms. Sugawara has one hand out in front of him, his brown, slit pupils trained in concentration at the wall forming before him.

The light recedes to a dimmer glow and Sugawara tells them it’s ready.

Takeda approaches the rest of them for a quick reminder, swiftly whispering, “All of you, behave! We’ll be gone for three days be watchful. Tooru, keep watch over the messages. You too, Asahi.”

There’s a series of nodding among the assembled Shadowhunters and Sugawara calls after Takeda then.

Daichi watches as Takeda and Ukai steps into the portal, the surface shining blindingly for a second and then pipes down when they’ve gone through.

“Perfect,” Sugawara mumbles to himself, pleased, now starting to work on dismantling the portal.

“Asahi-san, duel with me!” Nishinoya jumps to Asahi’s side. Asahi smiles, nodding and both of them with Tanaka tagging along, goes back inside to practice.

Oikawa disappears afterwards and Daichi supposes he should go too when Ennoshita walks up to him with a sly smile.

“He’s fond of you,” Ennoshita says, grinning.

“Wh—” Daichi starts in disbelief, eyeing Sugawara who had just finished and is wiping his hands on his jeans, pouting.

“Very.”  Ennoshita presses on.

Daichi exhales. There’s no need to be flustered.

“I’ve just met him literally a several days ago.” Daichi says, looking for an excuse.

Ennoshita shrugs. “So? He’s had enough lifetimes to know if he’ll like a person after a day.”

“Are we catching up on the latest Shadowhunter gossip?” Sugawara says humorously as he saunters towards them, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Ennoshita smiles innocently.

“Er, no, not…nothing like that,” Daichi says, clearing his throat.

Sugawara looks up at him, grinning.

“I knew you’d be the type to avoid such drama, Daichi,” he muses.

“Iron will.” Ennoshita says, helpfully.

“Oh!” Sugawara laughs, nodding. “Certainly.”

Daichi feels he’s being played here.

“I should um,” Daichi manages, pointing vaguely behind him. “Go practice archery.”

Sugawara’s eyes twinkle.

“Watch out for old spells.”

He’s confident he’ll be safe, Daichi thinks, hiding his smile as he walks back in the Institute.

 

They’re suddenly awakened at dawn with a loud slamming of doors by Oikawa and Asahi who’s hurrying through each room, waking them up with hurried shouts of, “There’s a demon attack at the plaza, _hurry!_ ”

Daichi bolts out of bed at once, wide awake in an instant as he hurriedly gets his gear on while he listens to information of the current situation in clipped phrases. Five _oni_ had risen up from the murky lagoon at the city plaza and though a lesser, and to a certain extent weaker, demon, it’s known to wreck havoc in numbers.

Unfortunately for them, they rose up in a Fair Folk territory and despite the shaky ties between the Faeries and the Nephilim, whenever their safety is at stake however, they turn to the Institute.

It doesn’t take them long. The park is sparse of mundanes this time of day, thankfully and when the group arrives, they’re met the scene of at least ten of the Fair Folk in varying colors and sizes circling the five _oni_ , human-sized demons with green skin, wide mouths, spade-like claws, and horns sprouting from their forehead. They’re nebulous beings, easily deceiving and more than often, devouring mundanes.

“ _Samandiriel,_ ” Daichi hears Oikawa invoke the Angel’s name beside him, taking out his seraph blade which now glows with heavenly fire.

There’s a loud whooshing sound of flapping wings and the assembled Shadowhunters turn their eyes to the local Fair Folk community’s head, Bokuto Koutarou, who steps towards them, folding back three pairs of wings and trains his golden eyes at them.

“Finally, you’re here.” he says, his voice deep but relieved.

Bokuto’s court is rather different from the rest of the fey. They are avian-like, many of them having a number of pairs of wings with a multitude of colored feathers that grow in tufts on their shoulders and behind their ears. They are eternally loyal to their queen but they are the only ones who bother to maintain an amiable relationship with the residents of the Institute.

“We have them immobile but not for long,” Bokuto says, gesturing to the fairy circle, the demons noticeably frozen but are slowly twitching and groaning. “You don’t want them rampant in the city, if I were you.”

“We’ll get rid of them, Bokuto-san.” Ennoshita says, balancing four knives in between his fingers.

Oikawa motions them to move and they stand behind the fairy circle.

“ _Sandalphon_ ,” Daichi invokes as he takes out his seraph blade.

Bokuto unfolds his wings and refers to his second-in-command.

“Akaashi?”

Akaashi holds up a hand, his green eyes alight with magic.

“One,” he mutters.

“Two,” The fey says together.

“ _Three_ ,” Daichi says under his breath.

It happens simultaneously. Akaashi snaps his fingers and the _oni_ immediately become mobile again, growling in place and swiping their claws at the nearest fairy. The fairies however, shape-shift at once before the demons can reach them and they turn into large owls, swooping at once to peck at their eyes.

Nishinoya and Tanaka pair up as usual, working much better alongside each other as they take on one while Asahi, Ennoshita, Oikawa and Daichi face on one each alone and the park is soon resonating with the clashing of blades on claws and the harsh downdraft of the Fair Folk’s wings as they fight alongside them. Daichi can hear Oikawa’s derisive laughter, always an indication that he’s already winning.

However, the _oni_ are able to move lightning quick, being able to dodge the wrath of Daichi’s seraph blade. He’s caught unawares when it suddenly disappears before him and the wind is knocked out of him when he’s struck at the chest, sending him flying backwards and landing on his back hard.

“Daichi-san!” Daichi hears Nishinoya yell at him.

“ _Shit_ ,” Daichi hisses, sitting up immediately, his chest throbbing.

The _oni_ looms in front of him, its face like a mask, a permanent grin on its face and large canines protruding from its wide mouth. It grunts, looking at Daichi, the gush of air from its mouth seemingly like a deformed chuckle.

“ _Shadowhunter…ah, tasty…_ ” it grunts again.

_This one talks huh?_

Daichi springs to his feet, coughing.

“Don’t be gross,” he spits.

The demon does another disgusting chuckle and Daichi lunges forward and swings his blade and the demon disappears once more, a swift response but this time, he’s ready for it, knowing by reaction that the _oni_ will appear again from behind him, Daichi thrusts his blade backwards and hears the satisfying sound of blade meeting flesh.

He jerks his hand back and turns around to see the _oni_ peal shrilly, glowing in heavenly fire before it crumbles to dust at Daichi’s feet.

“It’s too early to be someone’s next meal,” Daichi says flatly.

There’s a loud screech of an owl followed by Ennoshita yelling, “Daichi-san, behind you!”

Daichi twists around and sees several things at once—Ennoshita is on the ground, clutching his side and Oikawa’s helping him up. The demon he’s been fighting has disappeared and Bokuto is squawking over Daichi’s head.

“Where?” Daichi demands, his gaze turning to the flickering image of the _oni_ that’s circling him, moving too fast for him to see.

 _Damn it_. He grips his seraph blade tighter, slowly reaching for his electrum whip but is backtracked when he feels another blow, this time from behind and it comes with a brief, searing pain that Daichi can’t put. He growls, twisting around and sees the _oni_ , grinning and raising its claw to lash out at Daichi in just a second quick.

For the first time in Daichi’s life, he feels himself freeze in battle.

Just when he thinks his face is about to be clawed off, Daichi hears the others calling his name and the persistent squawks of the other owls up ahead and Daichi thinks _I’m not going to end here._

Daichi moves to strike back, not wanting to lose just yet and then suddenly someone is standing in front of him, and he hears, unmistakably, the brief cackle of magic.

There’s a momentary blue wall between the _oni_ and the person in front of Daichi.

“Striking while your opponent’s back is turned?” the warlock jeers, flashing his eyes at the demon who growls. “That’s cheating.”

Daichi’s words catches in his throat.

“ _Suga—_ ”

Sugawara turns his head, eyeing Daichi briefly and then _smiling_.

“I’ll stay away if I were you,” Sugawara tells him, the blue wall flickers at his will.

Daichi unwittingly steps towards him. There’s a loud screech from Bokuto, still flying from above and then hands are on Daichi, pulling him back.

“Daichi, stay back,” Oikawa says, pulling at his arm.

“Daichi-san, how’s your ribs?” Nishinoya wants to know. They’re fussing over him. Tanaka and Nishinoya are asking if he’s gotten any injuries, Asahi and Ennoshita weakly shushing them but Daichi’s eyes remain on Sugawara’s back.

He’s facing the demon again and he snaps his fingers. Roots emerge from the ground, snaking around the demon’s legs, to its waist and up to its neck. Still, it sneers and Daichi watches with an ill feeling that he steps forward again.

“He can handle it, Daichi,” Asahi says softly.

“Now look what you did,” Sugawara tells the _oni_ amusedly. “You made the Shadowhunters worry about me.”

“ _Ha…hh..ah…_ ” the demon scoffs, sneering.

“It’s talking again,” Daichi hears Oikawa utter disgustedly.

Sugawara tilts his head, feigning interest.

“What’s that?” he asks amicably and then clenches his fist. The roots tighten around the demon which growls in anguish.

“ _Hh—_ ” Another howl.

“What? You gotta say it before they kill you!”

“Asahi,” Oikawa says, grip on Daichi’s arm not loosening. Asahi looks up, puzzled.

“Give me your bow,” Oikawa continues, not even glancing at him.

The _oni_ groans, coughs a chuckle.

And then to Sugawara it spits—“ _Half-breed._ ”

Everyone freezes. Daichi hears Asahi’s anxious intake of breath at the heinous remark, his hand that’s passing his bow and arrow to Oikawa pauses.

“Why you—!” Nishinoya stomps forward, brandishing his blade. “ _Gabriel_ —”

“Noya, don’t!” Ennoshita shouts, grabbing his collar to pull him back. Tanaka grabs at him too, telling him to stay put though his other hand remains holding on to Daichi, not letting go.

The word rings back in Daichi’s ears. _Half-breed._ The dirtiest insult one can throw to warlocks because of their parentage. They never asked to have a demon for a father. Nor did they ask to be born to a mundane mother. A half-breed, they easily throw around.

Daichi _seethes._

Sugawara smiles softly, his mouth nearly lifting into a smirk.

“I see.”

That cuts it.

Daichi twists around and grabs the bow and arrow Asahi is passing over and quickly takes it in his arms in one swift movement. He points the arrow towards the _oni_ who is just asking to die, not considering the flabbergasted expressions the others are giving him.

“That’s rich coming from a monster.” Daichi says coldly.

Sugawara snaps his eyes towards him, astonishment written all over his face.

“Daichi—”

He releases the arrow anyway.

The air is thick with tension for half a second until the arrow lodges itself on the demon’s forehead, right smack as he’s still grinning.

“ _Ah_ ,” it wheezes, convulsing once against its restraints before it finally crumbles into nothing.

There’s a brief silence as they watch the dust settle before there’s a collective release of breath they’ve been holding in for a while and this time it’s of relief.

Another hunt over.

Tanaka and Nishinoya initiate the first bout of noise as usual and they both jump on Daichi like they’ve just won the lottery. Oikawa lets him go at once.

“DAICHI-SAN THAT WAS AWESOME!”

“WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR ONE LINERS??”

Daichi is slowly feeling an increasing throbbing sensation in his chest, getting worse every time he breathes in and he doesn’t say a word yet as the two continues rambling off beside him.

Daichi grunts, putting his hand on his chest once, trying to pass it off.

“I-It was nothing,” he says.

Tanaka smacks him on the shoulder cheerfully and he almost keels over.

“It was great, Daichi-san!” Tanaka praises and Daichi nods at him with a strained smile.

Sugawara walks up to them quietly. He’s smiling brightly again and he looks quite amazed.

“How are you?” he asks Daichi pleasantly and Tanaka and Nishinoya exchange grins before slipping away to join the others who’re now conversing with Bokuto who’s now returned to his human form.

“I, uh,” Fine? Daichi grits his teeth. His back is throbbing somehow.

“Daichi?” Oikawa breaks away from the others, frowning. He walks over and hovers a finger over Daichi’s back. “Your gear is torn in places are you…?”

“Oh, really?” Daichi didn’t even notice.

Sugawara raises his eyebrows.

“Let me see—”

“Hey! Hey!” Bokuto interrupts, jumping around lithely until he’s beside Oikawa who politely steps away.

Akaashi follows him quietly, eyeing the other with cautiousness. Bokuto grins down at Daichi excitedly nevertheless. “You were knocked out twice earlier! Are you alright?”

Daichi almost flinches. “It’s fine,”

Sugawara doesn’t believe him. He makes a faces and reaches, turning Daichi around to inspect and the frown on his face deepens.

“Daichi, these are claw marks—”

Bokuto leans closer, peering down towards Daichi with a mischievous smile, his golden eyes glowing.

“I can check, if you want.”

Akaashi appears behind him, shaking his head fiercely.

“ _Koutarou,_ ”

Bokuto doesn’t listen. Instead, he whacks Daichi on the chest for a brief moment but that brief moment sends lances of pain up and down Daichi’s ribs that he grunts loudly, stumbling back and falling into Sugawara’s arms.

There are several people shouting his name in alarm and Daichi’s trying not to bite his tongue.

“ _Ow_ sh—fuc— _shit_ —” Daichi hisses under his breath.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Sugawara gasps in horror.

“Yeah, I’m just stupendous,” Daichi babbles, righting himself up again. _God_ that stings.

“I am absolutely horrified,” Akaashi says, pushing Bokuto behind him. “I am so sorry—”

Bokuto’s eyes are glowing and like in a trance he lists off, “Ah yes, you’ve got two cracked ribs and a big bruise on your front and you’ve been clawed slightly on your back better get that checked for demon poison…”

Sugawara blanches, sweeping a look at Daichi from top to bottom. He’s looking a little pale.

“Daichi, how do you feel?”

“We have to get him back to the Institute quick!” Oikawa cries, sounding panicked.

“It’s fine I’m—” Daichi protests then feeling a sudden bout of dizziness shuts him up and he blinks confusedly.

“Sawamura-kun, are you alright?” Akaashi wants to know. He sounds worried

Daichi realizes his sight is flickering and he feels panic for a fleeting second until he thinks _I’m going to pass out._

Sugawara’s voice calling out his name with a tinge of worry is the last thing he hears before the lights fail him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> > sorry Ennoshita,,,  
> > Bokuto and Akaashi's Fair Folk community resemble harpies! think how Maleficent looks like i based it on her hehe
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/crossbelladonna) | [tumblr](http://crossbelladonna.tumblr.com/)


	2. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It’s good you didn’t die though, you’re pretty interesting.”  
> Daichi raises an eyebrow questioningly and not breaking Daichi’s gaze, Sugawara continues to smile.  
> “And very stubborn, I found out recently,” he adds.  
> Daichi leans back, laughing. And he can’t help it he goes, “No more iron will?”  
> Sugawara smiles.  
> “Oh definitely an iron will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "this is a one-shot" i said

Daichi wakes up to a mouthful of cotton, his face planted on a pillow and he groans, sitting up. He’s to be lying face down on a couch though he doesn’t remember getting here.

This seems all too familiar.

He blinks out the tiredness in his eyes and stares at the couch. And then the ceiling. And then the rest of the living room space which had then been so messy but now looks immaculate though the suspicious looking jars and books are still lined up on the shelf though they’re now properly arranged.

He’s in Sugawara’s apartment again and this time around once more, he doesn’t remember how he got here.

Daichi hears a tiny meow and sees Sugawara’s cat staring at him from underneath the table.

“Hey, Sugar,” he says and Sugar meows again, getting up and trotting to Daichi’s legs.

“Oh! You’re awake!” Sugawara comes walking out of the kitchen, smiling bright with relief and happiness.

Daichi stares. He can’t help it. He’s really attractive despite the fact he’s wearing pink and green sweats. Sugawara’s holding a tray with a bowl that Daichi can only assume is full of soup by the smell of it and Sugawara sets it on the table, humming lightheartedly as he sits down next to Daichi.

“So!” Sugawara says, leaning back on the couch. “It’s great you didn’t die.”

Well _that_ went a darker turn.

“Excuse me what,” Daichi says, a little disturbed.

But the warlock raises an eyebrow, his cat’s eyes amused.

“You know, from the demon poison? You got clawed this morning?” he tries and Daichi stares back at him blankly.

 _Oh_. He can remember it now, at least vaguely. The _oni_. The fight. Getting blown backwards. Fainting horrifically into Sugawara’s arms _oh my god—_

“Oh my,” Sugawara says, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Don’t you remember?”

“Uh, actually…”

Sugawara laughs softly.

“I’m gonna have to do that thing,” he looks at Daichi excitedly. “You know that thing mundane doctors do when a person wakes up after surgery?”

“I’m not really familiar—”

Sugawara waves a hand off.

“Of course not, you’re not mundane. Alright then!” Sugawara pulls his legs towards him, facing Daichi on the couch. “Do you remember your full name?”

Daichi tilts his head. Now he’s the one who’s amused.

“Sawamura Daichi,” he replies obediently.

Sugawara nods, feigning seriousness.

“What’s mine?”

“Suga…r,”

“Daichi!” Sugawara squeals, smacking Daichi on the arm and Daichi laughs.

“Suga! Yeah, your name is Suga.”

Sugawara grins, satisfied and he leans closer.

“How old are you?”

Daichi smiles crookedly. “I’m nineteen. And you?” The question comes out without thinking.

Sugawara falters, surprised but after a short pause, he snickers.

“Ooh, so brave to ask a warlock how old they are huh?”

Daichi swallows. “You don’t really have to uh, it was a reflex…”

“It sure was a question though,” Sugawara beams. “I’m three hundred years old, more or less if you still wanted to know.”

Warlocks are immortal, this Daichi knows. He hasn’t met a lot of warlocks in his life and now hearing one who’s been through many lifetimes just piques his interest.

“More or less?” Daichi repeats, inclining his head.

Sugawara raises a finger, smiling.

“See, once you get past a hundred without ever changing, you start to get tired of it and keeping track of your age seems pointless.”

“It’s interesting though, never dying.”

“Never dying isn’t always great,” Sugawara’s voice turns soft, tolerating. He’s used to this conversation. “‘You bury everyone you love.’”

 _Oh._ Daichi feels a spike of sadness and wonders if he’s offended him yet again. All that glitters isn’t gold, truly.

“I’m sorry that was crass of me,” he says sincerely and Sugawara winks at him.

Sugawara shakes off the gloomy tone rather quickly. He smacks Daichi’s shoulder playfully, laughing.

“You’re so serious! Okay, next! Where are you from?”

_Ah, so we’re still asking._

Daichi smiles sheepishly. “You already know I’m from the Sendai Institute.”

“Aren’t you lonely here being from somewhere far?”

Daichi chuckles, thinks of Nishinoya and Tanaka’s antics, Asahi who’s easy to tease, Ennoshita who’s always so hardworking, Oikawa too with that flirtatious and equally dangerous nature of his. Takeda and Ukai’s “children.”

“The people here are pretty easy to get along with,” Daichi says and then scoffing. “Although they easily leave me to places. They left me here again didn’t they?”

Sugawara’s smile is sly.

“This is the second time you’ve woken up in my apartment in two weeks and nothing interesting has happened before it.”

He’s teasing. He’s definitely teasing but Daichi feels his cheeks heat up anyway.

“I did almost die, you said.”

“Oh yes, demon poison has its funny ways. I also fixed your ribs, if you want to know.”

Daichi exhales. “I could’ve just—”

“Used a healing rune?” Sugawara finishes, almost mockingly. “You Shadowhunters and your healing runes. How are you going to empathize with pain if you don’t stick around to stand it? It’s good you didn’t die though, you’re pretty interesting.”

Daichi raises an eyebrow questioningly and not breaking Daichi’s gaze, Sugawara continues to smile.

“And very stubborn, I found out recently,” he adds.

Daichi leans back, laughing. And he can’t help it he goes, “No more iron will?”

Sugawara smiles.

“Oh, definitely an iron will.”

 

In these short times Daichi learns more things about Sugawara. Learns that he loves that feathery black hat of his (“I have a collection, actually!” Sugawara told him. Daichi is still not sure if that’s true). Learns that his cat is basically his child when Daichi finds him cooing at Sugar one time when she was having a tantrum. He seems cheerful, always having that little smile when he catches Daichi’s eye. Perhaps Daichi had just thought warlocks were supposed to be cold and brooding.

He’s also pretty righteous.

“Daichi?” Sugawara walks up to him one time when he’s wanted in the Institute once more and Daichi happened to be walking by, on his way to the library.

Daichi smiles instantaneously, a reflex to match Sugawara’s own.

He’s wearing another one of his sweaters, this time it’s a plain burgundy and _FLAWLESS_ is imprinted in metallic letters on his front.

“Hi,” Daichi says.

“Takeda-san wanted help with a lock in the library,” Sugawara says brightly.

Daichi chuckles. “I see. Here again huh?”

Sugawara’s reply is smug.

“You better get used to it.”

“Ah, Daichi!” Takeda says, smiling as he appears behind Sugawara. “Suga’s here to open that chest in the library that we can’t seem to move.”

Daichi rubs the back of his neck.

“I’m headed there too actually.”

“Oh! Wonderful, come, come. Are you doing your extra reading?” Takeda says enthusiastically, going on ahead as Sugawara and Daichi follow from behind.

“You can say that.”

“Wow, you guys are still very diligent,” Sugawara comments, sounding sincere.

Takeda looks back over his shoulder.

“You can say that,” he says lightheartedly, chuckling as they make it to the door.

 

The chest, one Sugawara easily opens, turns out to be full of old books, spells and novels alike. Sugawara immediately spies one that he gets attached to at once and Takeda lets him have it as part of his payment.

“Very well. I’ll send a report to the Clave about that chest,” Takeda tells them. “I’ll go on ahead, you both. Thanks for today, Suga.”

Sugawara waves at Takeda cheerfully as he walks out the door, turning that cheerfulness towards Daichi next.

“Studying?” Sugawara asks him pleasantly.

Daichi shakes his head, taking a book from a nearby shelf that got his attention.

“Not really, more like a review,” he says, flipping the book open.

“Very hardworking, you lot.” Sugawara comments, chuckling.

Daichi smiles. Of course. It’s the Angel’s work; they’ve got to be responsible.

The book he’s holding has intricate headers, embossed in gold letters and written on the spine and front page are the words _Life and Times of_ _Downworlders_. Daichi looks up and sees Sugawara pacing towards one of the shelves carefully as though there’d be any warding here for non-Shadowhunters. It’s not as though non-Shadowhunters can make it this far inside the Institute without an invitation anyway.

Daichi doesn’t know what it’s like to live like that. Sure, Shadowhunters must remain cautious all the times but to have to live as though your life is always tied around your neck must be exhausting.

Downworlders are pretty brave.

“Why are you staring?” Sugawara peeks from underneath a book.

Daichi blinks, not realizing he’s been doing just that.

“Sorry, I was just thinking.”

Sugawara grins. “Oh, that usually happens to me too though I meant to stare in the first place.”

“How come you’re always so jolly?”

Sugawara puts his hands on his hips, book in one hand.

“Why someone’s gotta be!” he says indignantly and Daichi breaks into a laugh.  “Why? Were you thinking of dark things? Like perhaps the life and peril of Downworlders since you’re holding a book about us?”

Daichi sighs and puts the book back on the shelf.

“No. I just think it’s unfair.”

Sugawara giggles. “You’re so silly,” he says and to himself he murmurs, “Silly Shadowhunter.” He treads toward Daichi casually, looking very at ease. “By the way, Daichi?”

Daichi stares until Sugawara is directly in front of him and he raises his eyebrows questioningly.

Suddenly, Sugawara whacks him on the chest with the book he’s holding and Daichi, caught unawares, grunts as he’s hit and he rubs his chest in astonishment.

“What—!”

Sugawara is looking at him intently, stepping even closer, his eyebrows quivering. His eyes are trained to Daichi’s own, his pupils the thinnest slits.

“Don’t do it again,” Sugawara says softly.

Daichi’s heart is pounding. What’s he talking about? Immediately he’s trying to recall every single wrongdoing he’s done for the entire week.

“D-Don’t do what…?”

Sugawara’s expression relaxes and a small smile of teasing appears on his face.

“That one time that demon called me something rude,” he says. “and you were being rash…”

Daichi cuts him off, adamant.

“Hey now it was being rude!”

“Daichi—”

“I’m supposed to call it out I was going to kill it anyway—”

“ _Daichi_ ,” Sugawara repeats, smile growing wider. “I’ve had decades of being called that from demons and Shadowhunters alike the novelty has worn off.” He rolls his eyes. “And then you just freaking whip out your bow,” Sugawara moves to whack him again but Daichi covers his chest this time, grinning. “Almost gave me a heart attack, Daichi! I still have years to live and you almost cut it off! Humans are so irrational. What if it had lashed out to you then? I swear…”

Daichi can’t help the laughter that bursts out of him and Sugawara huffs.

“You’re very weird.” Daichi says.

“Watch who you’re calling weird, boy.” Sugawara winks, moving along to another shelf to get another book.

 

Somehow it becomes a thing. Daichi would see Sugawara visiting sometimes, clad in another one of his interesting apparel for whatever reason his presence is needed for in the Institute. Daichi is almost suspecting that Takeda’s already grasping at whatever excuse he can make up so Sugawara will come.

Either that or Sugawara’s doing it willingly.

This time, Daichi catches him at the stairwell talking to Oikawa as Daichi makes his way to the library once more, having finished a round of archery with Asahi.

“How very interesting. I’m glad you and that mundane are faring well,” Daichi hears Sugawara tell Oikawa softly.

“People usually just ask me when he’s going to Ascend being a Shadowhunter.” Oikawa replies soberly.

“Well I’m not a usual person.”

Daichi smiles. He saunters towards them, trying to be all casual and Sugawara waves at him invitingly.

“Oh look here’s Daichi,” Sugawara says amiably.

Oikawa eyes Daichi, still looking troubled but smiling nevertheless.

“Is it my turn to spar?” Oikawa wants to know.

Daichi tilts his head.

“If you want to. You never had the need to ask.”

Oikawa quirks another smile though this time it looks more genuine.

“Thanks, Daichi. See you around, Suga.” Oikawa does a small salute, bowing out as he goes.

“Well don’t you work like a magic charm,” Sugawara muses.

Daichi exhales a laugh. “No, I don’t think I’d be good at that kind of charm.”

Sugawara steps back and looks at him from head to toe. Then without warning he snaps his fingers, blue sparks crackling momentarily and then Daichi feels something soft land on his head that he jumps in a start. He pats on it alarmingly and feels…leaves?

“Suga,” Daichi says in complaint.

Sugawara makes a frame with his fingers, one eye shutting as he pictures Daichi inside his makeshift frame.

“Very charming alright.” He says in satisfaction.

Daichi clutches on the flower crown and starts lifting it off.

“Don’t! It’s cute,” Sugawara laughs, wagging a finger. “Never refuse a warlock’s gift! To the library?” he asks, grinning.

 

Sugawara is a whole new other thing that Daichi can’t really comprehend. How easily he gives out his dazzling smiles and the effortless wave and flutter of his fingers, emitting harmless blue sparks that make things bend to his will. Him and his magic tricks are something else.

He teaches him things. Sugawara tells him what seems to be the expanse of the sky from the mythologies he knows or the places where he’s been but never about himself and Daichi isn’t one to pry.

He listens instead, a smile permanently woven on his face as he sees Sugawara’s delighted explanation of how he knows of a friend who got banned in Peru altogether, being a miscreant. Daichi listens as Sugawara teaches him basic words from a language he didn’t know had existed from interconnected cultures. Listens with fascination at the hundred lives he had seemed to live.

“I don’t know any magic tricks,” Daichi says, finally removing the flower crown perched on his head. “You can’t count witchlight or runes as magic tricks. But you sure have had a thousand experiences.”

Sugawara’s laughter is relaxed, at ease.

“It’s a good life out there, Daichi.” He smiles to himself. “Time is just so unbelievably short and your mundane lifetimes are barely enough.”

For someone time can’t touch, it must be bittersweet.

Daichi looks at Sugawara in wonder for what seemed to be the hundredth time since he’s met him; he’s good at doing that somehow.

“I understand.” Daichi says.

 

For some reason, Takeda has taking to liking letting Daichi handle any sort of business involving the High Warlock of Tokyo.

(“I swear he’s more compliant with you around,” Takeda tone is definitely teasing.

That can’t be right. Sugawara looks kind enough as he is.)

So tonight has Daichi in front of Sugawara’s apartment complex, a heavy parcel and a witchlight in one hand as he rings the doorbell with the other.

“Who is it~?” Sugawara’s cheerful voice comes out from the intercom.

Daichi clears his throat.

“It’s Daichi.”

He hears Sugawara’s delighted _oh._

“Come in then!” he says without hesitation and Daichi lets himself in and the first thing he sees is Sugar in the hallway, her tail swishing.

The tabby stares at him intelligently and Daichi wonders yet again if the cat can talk after all but Sugar merely walks over him and rubs against his legs.

“Hi, Daichi! Come in here,” Sugawara appears, wearing a different set of shrimp-printed pajamas and a steaming mug in hand.

Daichi studies him for a moment.

“Can your cat talk?”

Sugawara blinks repeatedly, stumped.

“What?”

Sugar meows.

“Never mind,” Daichi says quickly, exhaling. “Takeda told me to give you a parcel.”

Sugawara smiles. “Ah, for translating. Of course.”

The parcel turns out to be just as expected—a book written in demon language untranslatable for now.

Daichi helps Sugawara rearrange his living room so that his couch is pushed back and the living room table left with the demon book on it. Soon, there are several books scattered around the room, Sugawara looking at their pages once in a while as he stands in front of Takeda’s book, blue electric currents zip and spark from his fingers, looking majestic despite that he’s wearing pajamas.

Daichi stands behind him, ready to lend a hand when needed but for now he watches in amazement as words appear in front of Sugawara and latch onto the book in quick translation.

“You can help yourself in the kitchen if you want.” Sugawara says at some point, eyes not leaving the words hovering in front of him.

Daichi gives in, thinking it’s better than just standing there anyway.

On the way to the kitchen though, Daichi sees another hallway to the other side of the room and up with curiosity, Daichi walks over there to look.

It isn’t a very long hallway. The only thing there is at least six doors opposite each other. _Rooms,_ Daichi thinks. Sugawara holds parties after all. Perhaps some of his guests stay the night. Daichi looks over his shoulder to the living room and he can’t see Sugawara from where he’s standing though he can see the flashes of blue so he wanders in the hallway to look while he’s got time to spare.

There isn’t anything to look at and curiosity satisfied, Daichi turns to leave until he sees the last room at the end. There’s an angelic rune etched just at the center and Daichi tilts his head.

“Huh.” What would that be doing here? He raises his hand to softly touch at the rune—

And quickly retracts when he hears a click and the door opens slowly.

“By the Angel—” Daichi swears, panicking for a second. He reaches for the doorknob to close it once more until something shiny catches his eye from the inside that he cracks the door open slightly again to see what it is.

It turns out to be a small, glass picture frame and when Daichi steps closer, he sees it’s not the only one there.

The room is pretty bare save for a dresser that’s completely lined up with several picture frames. And those aren’t the only ones he finds. On the walls are numerous photographs tacked in almost like wallpaper and it’s never the same person. There are a few letters tacked in too but there are no names. There’s a vase on the dresser, he realizes and it has a bouquet of dried roses someone has long forgotten to replace.

Daichi sees different people in the photographs—there are women of seemingly different ethnicities but somehow closer to his age and over. There are men too, again with the same variety and Daichi can even spy pictures of warlocks he doesn’t recognize, their warlock marks of blue skin and white hair and dark horns a tell tale sign. He doesn’t seem to find any Shadowhunter though he sees aside from the mundanes, other Downworlders he can’t describe.

Most of them look candid, showing surprised smiles and genuine laughter. Some photos look older than the others, more worn and folded, some have blotches as though time has cried on them. Still, they have the same look of love for whoever took the picture.

“Daichi?”

Daichi’s heart leaps to his throat, already in his own world that he forgot he’s basically trespassing. He turns around and sees Sugawara stop short at the door just in time and when he sees Daichi inside the room, he looks rather relieved to Daichi’s surprise.

“There you are!” Sugawara sighs, leaning against the door. “I thought my fridge ate you or something.”

Daichi feels a wave of embarrassment.

“I’m sorry—I, uh, I was wandering.” He admits.

Sugawara waves a hand away.

“Oh, that’s fine let curiosity be fed,” he looks around the room interestedly. “I haven’t checked this room in a while. Terribly dusty.”

 _Now_ Daichi feels even sorrier. Stupid Shadowhunter messing with other people’s businesses.

Sugawara sees the look on his face and he bursts into laughter.

“Really, it’s fine!” he says.

Daichi feels like hiding his face in his hands for a while.

“You even locked it and everything…”

Sugawara points at the angelic rune on the door, biting back a chuckle.

“Wards off demons, see,” he explains, shrugging. He steps inside the room to join Daichi and coos fondly at the pictures on the frames, on the walls, fingers touching them briefly.

“Definitely been a long time since.” He grins at Daichi.

Daichi sweeps another look at the photos.

“Your family?” he asks. He knows it’s impossible for warlocks to have family lines. Still, family isn’t always by blood alone.

Something passes in Sugawara’s expression as though he’s not expecting the question. His cat’s eyes widen for a moment before softening.

“Yeah,” he says quietly, fingers passing over a few pictures again. “My family.”

There’s a lengthy pause and Daichi knows not to ask.

Sugawara clears his throat. “Anyway, I’m halfway through translating but I might not be able to give it back just yet.”

Daichi relaxes. “Oh that’s okay. I should be leaving soon. I’m sorry for the bother.”

“Relax!”

“—and thank you.”

Sugawara laughs amusedly and it pins Daichi right there.

“Daichi,” he says. “You’re always welcome.”

 

There are periods to Sugawara’s visits when he doesn’t come and even as Daichi distracts himself to every dodge and hit he does when he spars, through every arrow he misses in archery, to watering the plants in the greenhouse, to waking up to bells at dawn at the alarm of a new demon to fight, he wonders in these periods, what might Sugawara be doing?

But warlocks are eternally busy and Sugawara always finds the time to come by and to look forward to his visits might be something else—

He tries to ignore it.

Oikawa is playing the grand piano at the Great Hall the day Sugawara visits again. Daichi and Ennoshita are sitting on either side of Oikawa as he plays a tune when the warlock walks in.

Daichi sits up straighter.

“Aha! Jay Chou.” Sugawara muses, peering at the black and white keys.

“Uhuh,” Oikawa hums, not stopping.

“That’s beautiful. But I have to go bother Ukai though,” Sugawara says, meeting Daichi’s eyes and winking. “so I’ll see you around.”

He walks away as fast as he had arrived and Oikawa pauses playing the moment Sugawara disappears from sight.

And then he starts playing the wedding march.

Ennoshita starts snickering and Daichi glowers at them both.

“What?” Oikawa says innocently. “You gotta catch the birdie while it’s still here.”

“You’re letting several opportunities pass by,” Ennoshita adds.

“You’re supposed to be my friends.” Daichi deadpans.

“Oh we are,” Oikawa does not stop the cheerful tone. “We’re the best wingmen.”

Tanaka comes around, looking at them curiously. He’s got a bow in one hand, a banana on the other.

“Who’s getting married?” he asks.

Daichi presses several white keys at once, disrupting Oikawa’s tune and Oikawa yelps in complaint.

“No one.” Daichi says fiercely.

“No one if someone won’t do something,” Ennoshita drops and Oikawa laughs, high-fiving him.

Daichi scowls at them.

“That’s funny,” Tanaka snorts. “and a little relatable.” He adds with a sigh. “Anyway, I saw Suga-san back there.”

Daichi doesn’t have to look to know Oikawa and Ennoshita are grinning.

“He was talking to Ukai-san in the hallway but it looks like a brief talk.” Tanaka continues.

“Oh!” Oikawa cries out, leaning towards Daichi meaningfully. “So he might be leaving so soon?”

Daichi scowls at them even more.

Tanaka mulls this over, moving his bow to his other hand. “Hmm. Maybe. Hey, Ennoshita wanna shoot some targets?”

Ennoshita stands, grinning.

“Tanaka, I heard Taki’s is opening their spring menu today.” Ennoshita says.

Tanaka nods appreciatively. “That’s right. The Fair Folk are pretty excited about it. Lots of flowers.”

“Good for _dates_.”

Daichi wants to bolt away, wants to put his head in his hands. Taki’s is a diner close by, serving for Downworlders, Shadowhunters and mundanes alike. Daichi’s only been there once since he got here and he briefly remembers a gathering of loud vampires and a blond waiter with huge, shimmering butterfly wings.

They have seasonal menus too, apparently.

Tanaka tilts his head, looking at Ennoshita quizzically.

“Do you want to go on a date?”

Ennoshita punches his shoulder when he passes by him as he walks on ahead to the training room.

“Maybe some other time.” He calls out.

Tanaka’s face briefly turns a shade of red before he whips around to catch up.

“What is it with you guys and subliminal messages?” Daichi grumbles.

Oikawa’s playing another tune now, a softer, more soothing tone.

“You shouldn’t give everything away,” Oikawa tells him simply. “and you should go try out that spring menu,” Oikawa grins. “Before time flies away fast, of course.”

Daichi sighs, pushes himself up to stand.

“Alright, damn it. You do know he might end up rejecting the offer.”

Oikawa raises an eyebrow.

“Wanna bet? He hasn’t rejected anything involving you just yet.”

Okay. _Time to go._

“Fine.” Daichi says.

Oikawa smiles and waves him off.

“Go, Prince Charming.”

“Are you okay being left here?”

Oikawa sticks his tongue out at him.

“Who said I wasn’t going to go after you do?”

Daichi smirks. “Got a date too, huh?”

Oikawa’s smile is private and sincere. He rarely talks about the mundane he’s going out with unless he feels like his heart is about to burst with emotion, trying to keep his love away from the judgmental eyes of other scornful Shadowhunters.

“Oh, absolutely.” Oikawa answers, winking.

 

When Daichi gets to the foot of the Great Hall, Sugawara is already making his way down the staircase, humming to himself quietly, hands shoved in his pockets and ready to leave. Daichi feels a shot of panic.

“Suga!” he calls out, running after him.

Sugawara turns to his direction at once, cat’s eyes narrowing in scrutiny and then softening at the recognition.

“Hello! What’s the hurry?” he calls back to Daichi sweetly.

Daichi stops short in front of him, catching his breath.

“H-Hi,” Daichi stammers. “Are you busy after this?”

Sugawara touches his chin thoughtfully.

“I don’t think so, no. Why do you ask?”

 _Here I go._ “Well I was wondering if—”

Sugawara suddenly brightens up, snapping his fingers.

“Ah! I know—do you want to go to Taki’s? They have new teas for the season but if you’re busy…”

Daichi deflates. He can never win.

“Th-That, yeah. I was going—okay. Let’s do that.”

Sugawara laughs, stepping towards him and lopes an arm around Daichi’s.

“Oh, you’re definitely my favorite.”

That’s a relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> > "Everyone thinks it's so great to live forever. It's not, you bury everyone you love." is the original quote by Magnus Bane (who served as inspiration for Suga eheh) he is also the one who's banned in Peru lmao  
> > to Ascend/Ascending/Ascension is a process where a mundane becomes a Shadowhunter. Oikawa is not a fan because well,,, you can die from Ascension hehe  
> > Oikawa is playing the [Time Travel Theme by Jay Chou](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R7zVhfVEAg) (it's from his movie 'Secret' it's super good u gotta watch I prefer the faster tempo to this one tho the slow one is also good)
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/crossbelladonna) | [tumblr](http://crossbelladonna.tumblr.com/)


	3. Talent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s all you have against it?”  
> Daichi looks confused. “What else is there?”  
> Sugawara beams. “Nothing.”  
> Daichi chuckles. “It is like another one of your magic tricks.”  
> Sugawara reaches for Daichi’s hand again and this time he doesn’t let go.  
>  _I’ve never loved a Shadowhunter before._  
>  “I have another magic trick,” he says softly, taking a step closer. “Wanna see?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there it is there it is hohoho

Taki’s Diner isn’t overflowing with people than what Daichi assumes to be usual when he and Sugawara walks in. It is, however, decorated wall-to-wall with several kinds of flowers in bold and varied colors that the entire premises smells strongly, but pleasantly floral.

“Wow.” Daichi can’t help but say. He swears he sees butterflies fluttering around.

Sugawara giggles. “The vampires beg to differ.”

Daichi notices. The vampire group he once saw before is in subdued voices, ogling at the other faerie customers.

“Hello, Kuroo!” Sugawara waves at them as he and Daichi walks by and a vampire with messy black hair looks up and grins at them.

Sugawara and Daichi sit at the far end of the diner, Daichi watching with amusement as Sugawara says hello to a few more people before they get to their table.

“Have you been here before, Daichi?” Sugawara wants to know.

“I’ve been here once before, yeah.” Daichi says. “I remember that one blond waiter.”

“Ah, Tsukishima!” Sugawara claps his hands delightedly. Daichi doesn’t know if he’s answering his remark or he’s calling out to someone but it turns out to be both because the faerie waiter Daichi mentioned approaches them, looking vaguely disinterested.

“Hi.” Tsukishima says, ruffling his big, yellow wings idly. “Can I take your order?”

It takes Sugawara some time to decide on his order, looking each menu item carefully as though to rile Tsukishima on purpose and Daichi bites back a smile as he peruses his menu when he finishes his own order. There are glasses of blood from different animals available and even raw chunks of meat for werewolves. It’d be funny to look at it from a mundane’s perspective even though they have reasonably normal food items as well right at the back.

Daichi sets his menu down and looks at the other customers out of curiosity. It’s a pretty diverse lot. The vampires present are all from Kuroo’s group—Daichi sees a freckled vampire stand up from their table and approach Tsukishima who had managed to survive Sugawara’s teasing.

Daichi sees a warlock not too far off, one with black and yellow hair, warlock’s mark evident with cat ears folded on his head and a yellow tail swishing behind him as he fiddles with a PSP.

There’s a pair of warlocks from another table who’re in the middle of a heated debate and Daichi can’t help but overhear.

“ _Our_ High Warlock is definitely more capable than the one in Akita!” one of them insists.

“You don’t know that! Have you _met_ Wakatoshi? Everyone looks up to him!”

“I did hear he once banished a Greater Demon by himself but the High Warlock of Tokyo is much older—!”

Daichi turns to Sugawara and finds him smiling innocently as he picks off flowers from the wall.

“They’re talking about you.” Daichi tells him amusedly.

Sugawara laughs. “And you too! ‘ _Is that the new Shadowhunter from the Institute?_ ’ they ask.”

“I’m used to it.”

“So am I!” Sugawara winks, flutters his fingers and the blue sparks make the flowers dance around the table. “It’s a rather weak debate. Strength is relative.”

True enough. Daichi traces a faint, silver rune scar on the back of his palm.

“Besides,” Sugawara continues. “I’m not that much older than Ushijima we’re relatively the same age. He’s rather harmless too, as long as you don’t push his buttons. He’s just really fond of his rice fields.”

“You ought to tell them.”

“Ah but what’s a good gossip? Keeps them talking till I hold another party again.” Sugawara chuckles. “You, on the other hand, might be attending one soon since you’re going to have some visitors.”

Daichi raises an eyebrow. “Is that what you were talking to Ukai-san about?”

Sugawara waves a hand flippantly.

“Just another portal job. Some of your folks from Sendai are coming over. Oikawa will be ecstatic to see to see his parabatai again.”

Daichi feels a pleasant warmth spread across his chest at the prospect of seeing familiar people again.

“That’s wonderful! Who’s coming?”

Sugawara counts it off with his fingers. “Well there’s Mizoguchi, then Matsukawa and Hanamaki and then Futakuchi. I’m not sure if there are others.”

Daichi’s excited grin remains plastered on his face.

“You Shadowhunters and your difficult family traditions!” Sugawara declares, sticking his tongue out at him. “It’s exhausting but I can’t say anything I suppose.”

Daichi laughs. “I can’t say anything about it either.”

 

“ _MATTSUN!!_ ”

Oikawa yells shrilly and practically lunges at his parabatai the moment Matsukawa steps out of the portal.

“By the _Angel_ , OIKAWA, GET OFF OF ME!”

Hanamaki snickers as he steps away from them.

“How very heartwarming,” Sugawara comments and Daichi chuckles beside him.

Sugawara has one arm out, keeping the portal open and when Mizoguchi finally steps out at last, he lets it go and it collapses into itself before disappearing. Sugawara sighs in relief.

“Thanks for the hard work.” Daichi pats him on the shoulder.

“I need a long, long nap after this.” Sugawara informs him.

“You deserve it.” Daichi tells him, chuckling as they both look back to newcomers.

Oikawa is hugging Matsukawa tight, seemingly sobbing with emotion and Matsukawa looks rather defeated. He and Hanamaki are taking turns patting Oikawa’s back.

“Stop being a baby.” Matsukawa sighs though he continues patting him nevertheless.

Oikawa finally pulls away and his expression is a cross between anguish and happiness.

“I missed you guys.” He murmurs.

“Of course you did we’re very miss-able.” Hanamaki grins.

“We missed you too.” Matsukawa beams.

“It’s unfair I’m the only one in Tokyo,” Oikawa whines.

Hanamaki smiles softly.

“We wish we were here too.”

“How’s that boyfriend of yours?” Matsukawa says carelessly and little loudly, trying to evaporate the gloomy atmosphere but Oikawa freezes, inhaling sharply and Hanamaki’s eyes widen and he slightly tips his head to Mizoguchi’s direction.

Mizoguchi is looking at them curiously. A few others are too and Matsukawa easily catches on, grabbing Hanamaki to his side.

“I meant _my_ boyfriend. He’s doing well, thank you.” Matsukawa says.

“I’m excellent.” Hanamaki says, grinning.

Oikawa smiles gratefully, snuggling back into his friends’ hold.

Sugawara yawns. “At least they’re _slightly_ happy.”

Daichi scoffs and looks down at him.

“Why don’t you rest in the lounge first before you go? You might pass out on your way to your apartment.”

Sugawara looks mildly surprised, cheeks coloring.

“It’s fine, you’ve got visitors anyway—”

Daichi rolls his eyes dismissively.

“You’ve been here longer than they have.”

“Suga!” Takeda waves at them both as he approaches, smiling wide. “Go rest for a bit before you go. Have some tea in the lounge.”

Daichi eyes Sugawara triumphantly.

Sugawara looks amused, pout adorable.

“I get it. Pesky, Shadowhunters.”

 

Sugawara goes on ahead to the lounge and Daichi stays behind to catch up with the others. He finds out about the recent changes to the Institute there, how the rain had caved in one of the shrine doors and that they’ve got new Shadowhunters joining their ranks in Sendai, one of them causing quite mayhem and curiously, a half-faerie.

“He’s got wild orange hair and always very jumpy,” Futakuchi tells them with enthusiasm. “You’d think he’s a warlock with those eyes of his but _apparently_ not. He obviously still has some magic on him though.”

“At least Hinata talks,” Matsukawa snorts. “Kageyama is always brooding, likes thinking things too hard.”

“They spend so much time in the training room too!” Hanamaki laughs. “One time Hitoka-chan found them dueling with chakrams when they fought and she nearly fainted in distress.”

Oikawa whines. “I miss it there.”

Daichi does too, he finds.

He also finds Sugawara passed out on the couch when he gets to the lounge, seemingly having fallen asleep immediately getting there. His gray hair is tousled when Daichi peers over to look and he’s hugging one of the couch pillows. Daichi smiles crookedly.

He walks over to the counter and starts making tea and he hears Futakuchi coming in.

“Hello~ Just looking at the rooms!” he sings.

Daichi waves at him. “Hey, Futakuchi.”

He watches as Futakuchi looks over at the couch in fascination.

“Ooh, who…?”

“That’s Suga.”

Futakuchi glides away, nodding.

“The High Warlock, you meant.”

Daichi chuckles. “That’s right.”

Futakuchi joins Daichi at the counter, humming.

“I heard he was the one with the cute little habit though I might be wrong.”

Daichi pauses lifting the kettle to pour tea in the cups and tilts his head.

“Habit?”

“Yeah,” Futakuchi grins, putting a sugar cube in one of the cups. “He takes mementos of his loved ones. Like _all_ of them. Immortality can be terrible if you’re sentimental. Cute though, must be a huge collection.”

Daichi doesn’t respond, thinking hard and he fills the teacup with the sugar cube before pushing it to Futakuchi.

“Thanks, Daichi-san!” Futakuchi beams and moves along to look at the several paintings lined on the wall.

Daichi looks at the other cups with intensity as he pours tea in them.

_Mementos? What mementos?_

_What would he keep to—?_

“Photos.” Daichi breathes as he realizes and he puts the kettle down. “ _Photos_.”

Photos to remember. Has he been locking that room? How often does he get there to look and remember? _I haven’t been here in a while_ , he said.

Daichi looks at Sugawara’s sleeping form and feels poignant feelings bubbling over. It must have been lonely.

He puts the kettle down and takes the tray, walking over to Sugawara and setting it on the lounge table. He’s in for quite a start however, when he turns his head and sees Sugawara blinking sleepily at him.

“Hi Suga,” Daichi chuckles breathily.

Sugawara sits up and looks around. He spots Futakuchi wandering around the room then he looks at Daichi and he starts to stand.

“Ah—I should help—” Sugawara starts.

Daichi looks at him pointedly, admonishing.

“No. Stay put will you? Give it a rest.”

Sugawara scowls at him hard and Daichi laughs, shaking his head.

“Really, stay put.”

“Ah! He’s awake,” Futakuchi pipes up and they both turn to him. Futakuchi grins. “That was a quick nap.”

“I’m easily rechargeable.” Sugawara jokes.

Futakuchi smirks. “That’s a good perk. I should be going now though. See you both around!” He waves before bolting out of the room.

Sugawara smiles wittingly. “Futakuchi huh? I’ve met his family. Very brave people, somehow always knowing what to say. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him when he was a tiny baby.”

Daichi sits down beside him, handing him some tea.

“That seems like quite a picture.”

Sugawara laughs into his teacup.

“Oh yes! I’ve seen plenty of your folk as children. It’s a little surprising to see them as they are now.”

Daichi leans back, trying to grasp it in his head.

“That’s so surreal.” He says.

Sugawara grins. “It is. You should’ve seen Oikawa as a toddler. He caused his parents quite some trouble because he kept attracting all kinds of faeries.”

Daichi snickers. “That’s definitely Oikawa.”

Sugawara chuckles softly. “Little Nishinoya got in trouble when he almost tried to eat something from the faerie court. You know how it is there, eat something and you stay there forever it’s a good thing his mother saw him.”

Daichi cringes. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I was there at Ukai and Takeda’s wedding too! So young at nineteen. Ukai cried when he was saying his vows though he insists he didn’t. Don’t tell him I told you that.”

 “I’ll try to forget that.”

Sugawara pushes him on the shoulder playfully and they both laugh.

“What else do you remember?” Daichi asks him, genuinely curious, wanting to know more about the things he’s seen, the things there were before Daichi was even around.

_Things that make the past less lonely to look back to._

Sugawara eyes Daichi in wonder, a small smile on his face. His expression is serene, open, refreshed from his nap and generally uncaring for the pink streaks on his face from where he slept on it. His cat’s eyes are dilated, content.

Sugawara scoots closer, leaning against Daichi’s side and resting his head on his shoulder. Daichi breathes in; Sugawara smells like apples.

“I’ve went to a lot of Shadowhunter ceremonies, that’s what I remember,” Sugawara laughs softly. “Especially births, boy they are magnificent, those ceremonies. The more famous the family, the fancier. I remember in particular, the birth of Issei Matsukawa when his family ordered a line of pine trees to be planted around the borders of your folk’s home country, Idris just because they could do it—it’s wild. We warlocks never get that treatment; it’s usually abandonment and suffering from birth.” Sugawara flutters his eyelashes sardonically.

“We don’t have pretty comfortable lives too, you know.” Daichi tells him. Demons are not some business to laugh at.

Sugawara sighs softly. “Oh yes you’re right,” he says. “You’re definitely right.”

 

The Shadowhunters from Sendai intend to stay for two weeks. There’s been an important discussion with the Institute heads and a rumor going around that Daichi has only heard bleak bits and pieces of and he’s not sure what to make of it just yet.

Still for the days that pass, the Tokyo Institute is filled with warm welcomed noise that sometimes became too much that Ukai has to yell at them to stop making so much racket.

The training room had become persistently filled with shouts and loud clanging as several weapons are picked up at once and Daichi has had to drag a raging Nishinoya and Tanaka away from a snickering Futakuchi countless times much to his annoyance and irritation.

Daichi doesn’t get a lot of time in the training room either, not with the three nuisances inciting all sorts of competitions on whomever is the best at what, trying to get in each other’s nerves until one day Mizoguchi finds out what’s happening and he’s quick to reprimand Futakuchi to _stop swinging the goddamn sword around_ and though Futakuchi does what he’s told, he doesn’t look sorry at all when he leaves.

Daichi snorts when he hears Nishinoya and Tanaka’s echoing screams of triumph as they zoom out to the hallway, paying them no mind as he takes a bow hanging on the wall.

“SHUT UP!” he hears Ennoshita yell at them in irritation followed by an ashamed silence. Daichi shakes his head amusedly as Ennoshita stomps to his side.

“They’re supposed to get along!” Ennoshita says exasperatedly, replacing his bow back to its place on the wall.

Daichi laughs. “Well Mizoguchi knows about it now. Ukai will definitely go after them.”

Ennoshita grimaces and shakes his head in disbelief.

“Hopefully!”

Daichi puts eight arrows in his quiver and hooks it up behind his back. Ennoshita tilts his head.

“Are you training?” he asks. “It’s pretty late.”

Daichi shrugs sheepishly.

“I didn’t get to earlier they were all over the place. It’s fine though you can go on ahead I can manage on my own.”

Ennoshita gives him a thumbs up.

“Okay. Watch out for cursed bows.”

Daichi grins, waving his bow.

“Definitely learned that lesson alright.”

Ennoshita rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed and he waves at Daichi before turning to go and Daichi goes the other way until he hears Ennoshita softly gasp.

“Ah, I remembered,” he says and Daichi pauses, raising his eyebrows. “Suga-san was going to come here tonight for another meeting. There’s been cases of demon attacks in some Institutes did you hear?”

Daichi feels unsettled.

“I have. There’s been one in Manila.”

Ennoshita looks sad. “Yeah. The High Warlocks are on it too. I heard there were Eidolons. Those demons can be deceiving, being able to mimic faces and all.”

“How’s it going for them?”

Ennoshita sighs. “Not quite sure yet. Nothing’s been said—we’ll see later I suppose when Suga-san comes. Aren’t you going to see him?”

Daichi feels his cheeks burn and he looks away, pretends to fiddle with the bowstring.

“Maybe some other time when he’s no longer busy.”

Ennoshita smiles knowingly, slowly nodding.

“Sure, of course,” Ennoshita bows. “I’ll leave you here then. See you around, Daichi-san.”

Daichi waves goodbye. He looks back to his bow and sees Sugawara smiling from the back of his mind and Daichi smiles, heart swelling in fondness.

He feels like he can shoot more than eight arrows tonight.

 

The fact that they gave Sugawara a swivel chair only increases the temptation to actually twirl around every time Ukai turns his back. He’s sure he won’t do it of course, Sugawara fights the urge. This is serious business with the Shadowhunters after all he’d rather not fool around.

He’s in a round table with Ukai, Takeda, Mizoguchi the Sendai Institute head and Konoha Akinori, the faerie representative from Bokuto’s faerie court. He looks pretty unfussy about the situation but polite, keeping his big wings folded behind him.

Sugawara looks at the statement before him. Kuroo’s name is noted under the Tokyo coven and there’s a little footnote at the bottom giving him special consideration for missing the meeting as he cannot enter the Institute but would be given a rundown nevertheless.

The local werewolf pack’s alpha is missing too. Sugawara supposes Kyoutani Kentarou is keeping to himself tonight since it’s a full moon.

It’s another problem with demons again. Sugawara feels disgruntled as he leans back against his chair. In this room alone, he’s probably the one with the most affinity towards them being that his father is one. Coming along with it however, is a spiking sense of hatred.

 _Because of this blood I will never die_ , he clenches his fist. _But their hands might also end me._

“Bokuto is willing to extend some help in return for last time,” Konoha says. “However, his help extends in Tokyo alone. The other Institutes will have to make do.”

“I can summon one of them and force it to tell me what’s going on,” Sugawara clasps his hands together, smiling sweetly. “Strengthening the old wards around the Institute is not a problem as well,” his smile turns serious. “Under the same repeated condition that you will open your doors to Downworlders who can enter, for safety, should there be trouble.”

“We have never deprived anyone who has needed help,” Takeda says softly but with stern reassurance. “You know that firsthand.”

Sugawara smiles. He knows in fact that the Tokyo Institute, the shrine over a hundred years old and its hundred rooms have accommodated more Downworlders than he can think. They just might be the one with the most open arms.

“I know,” Sugawara says, tilting his head. “That’s why I like it here.”

 

Konoha disappears the moment the meeting is dismissed but Sugawara lingers a few more minutes like usual, staying not even when Mizoguchi takes his leave.

“Do you want to stay tonight?” Takeda offers as Ukai stands back to inspect the rest of the reports. “I can have it arranged.”

Sugawara stands and pulls his coat tighter against him.

“Hmm, I don’t think so.” He says.

“Daichi might still be awake if you want to see him.” Takeda says it kindly but Sugawara’s attention snaps sharply to him the moment he says it.

It’s not like he came here to see Daichi there’s no need to be so anticipative over this beside it’s almost midnight and—

Sugawara does his best impression of an unimpressed scoff but Takeda seems to get it, grinning at him.

“He’s asleep now, I won’t bother him.” Sugawara tells him.

Takeda is still smiling a knowing smile.

“If you insist. Shall I walk you back?”

Sugawara waves a hand, making way to the door.

“No, thank you.”

 

The Institute, as he expects when he walks down the staircase, is deserted, quiet. It gives Sugawara a little introspective time being seemingly alone in this huge shrine. He stops at the foot of the stairs, hands not leaving the ornate rail with etched runes on the wood. It doesn’t bother him like it used to.

Sugawara glances towards the door, shut tight by several locks with different inscriptions to ward off unwanted and uninvited visitors away.  From where he is, he can see other markings aside from runes, a few of which he remembers putting there himself a few decades ago. They have lasted through the years much to his satisfaction though it still needs consequent backing by whoever the current Institute head is.

All this foundation might just crumble should there be an attack.

Sugawara clenches his fist. There have been attacks before, more than Sugawara can count however it doesn’t give him the confidence it’ll be the same each time.

He walks to the door slowly, still thinking and he stops just in front of it, hand resting on the largest lock but not turning.

_It’s not like I have to give my all they’re not the most important thing in my life I can live without them._

They only pay him to do things, do errands, do summons. They’re basically children compared to Sugawara’s expertise, a hundred years too late. Downworlders have asked him before why he remains so unwavering to Shadowhunters who don’t even pay him that much.

 _Remember_ , Sugawara sighs, touching the pentagrams he’s etched on the door.

_Remember—when he first stepped into Tokyo, newly renamed as the capital once more as the new emperor rose to power. He stumbled onto the shrine being rebuilt by accident, no longer called the Edo Institute this time as ladies and gentlemen clad in Shadowhunter gear hidden in subtle-colored yukatas spotted him and invited him in._

_“Are you a visiting warlock?” they asked._

_“I might not stay long.”_ And it’s been close to a hundred and fifty years since.

_Remember—when he collapsed onto the same front steps that haven’t changed much since—the roof tiles still red, the pillars still gold, the floor still of marble—with rain pouring hard on his back, tears stinging his eyes as he seeks death himself too when age took his love from him again._

_They had opened their doors._

_“Koushi,” it was Takeda’s great-grandmother. Sugawara had seen her grow from a capable child into a fine, strong woman and now she could pass off as his mother. He had wept into her hands._

_“Kill me.”_

_Her answers came with a fierce no._

Sugawara smiles. He has never loved a Shadowhunter more than that.

Perhaps he does owe them a thing or two.

He’s about to turn the lock, expecting the sound of consequent gears unlocking when he suddenly hears a loud whoop of joy down the hall that his hand freezes. Sugawara whips around, frowning and believes the sound came from the training room a few doors back.

Training? Up until midnight? These children are _stubborn._ He ought to tell Takeda about this.

Sugawara makes a face, turning back around and walking towards the weapons room where the Shadowhunter’s training area is connected.

“Hello?” Sugawara calls out softly when he enters, immediately greeted by menacing-looking melee weapons either hanged up on the wall or in glass cabinets. Immediately next to him is an assortment of war fans with clear adamas ribs.

No one answers his call nor does he find anyone in the weapons room. He does, however, hear a couple of thudding noises from the connecting training area where the lights are on and Sugawara shakes his head in disbelief.

 _Stubborn_. He thinks again. He’s told them before not to train alone following Ennoshita’s incident; better to have some company in case there’s an accident. But do they listen? _Oh no._

 _I’ve never loved a Shadowhunter before_ is what Sugawara thinks when he quietly walks forward into the training room.

_They are loud, stubborn, irrational. Always keeping up with regulations._

Sugawara stops, heart fluttering as he watches the person he’s rather pleased to find, pull back his arm, fingers tight around the bow and with a brief pause of breath; he releases the bow string with an echoing thrum.

The arrow doesn’t quite hit the target—it hits the ninth ring instead.  Oddly though, Sugawara still feels infinitely impressed though he knows he’s seen better.

He coughs a laugh, delighted and he claps softly.

Daichi jumps, suddenly alert as he whirls around and inhales sharply…and then scowls when he sees it’s just Sugawara.

“ _Suga_ ,” Daichi complains.

Sugawara laughs. “What?” he points daintily to Daichi’s arrow, crowded among others he’s shot earlier before. “That was a terrific shot by the way.”

Daichi scoffs, leaning on his bow and watches as Sugawara walks closer as he feigns inspecting the target.

“I didn’t even hit the target.” He tells him, raising an eyebrow amusedly.

“But you were in great form I think that counts. Besides, you’re just a ring away from the target.”

Daichi smiles crookedly.

“Were you staring?”

Sugawara winks. “I’m not going to tell you that. Besides,” he steps closer and smacks Daichi’s chest outright. “You’re practicing alone at midnight? What if you had another one of your idiot accidents?”

Daichi bites back laughter.

“Suga—”

“Don’t ‘Suga’ me,” Sugawara rolls his eyes and Daichi laughs this time, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“They were hogging the training room the entire day so I wasn’t able to train.”

“Why are you explaining?”

Daichi sighs exasperatedly. “Because you were going to get mad!”

Sugawara smirks. “I’m not mad. You’re just stubborn.”

“ _I’m trying_ —”

Sugawara laughs again, shaking his head. He grins and leans up to Daichi who blinks in puzzlement until Sugawara reaches up and pulls an arrow out of his quiver before settling back, smiling.

“Only takes a little aim,” Sugawara starts, twirling the arrow in his hand. There’s a sudden spark of blue travelling along the arrow and Daichi watches it shrink and widen until it becomes a small dagger.

Sugawara winks, twisting his body around in a flash, moving so quick that Daichi doesn’t see him throw, only seeing the dagger fly out from Sugawara’s hand and impale itself dead center on the target, handle quivering slightly.

Daichi holds his breath, awed and stares at Sugawara who is grinning triumphantly.

“And a little magic.” Sugawara finishes, laughing breathlessly.

Daichi shakes his head, chuckling.

“Well I could take lessons from you.”

Sugawara quirks a smile. “Really huh? You know what you need to take right now though? Some sleep.”

“Suga…,”

“Don’t ‘Suga’ me, Daichi. Unbelievable.”

 

He permits Daichi to walk him to the door however, standing beside Sugawara with a sheepish smile on his face.

“Really, get some sleep.” Sugawara tells him when he turns the doorknob and they both watch as the gears on the door turn and glow.

Daichi grins. “I will,” he says obediently.

“I don’t trust that smile on your face.”

“It’s the only smile I have!”

The doors open, greeting them both with a rush of cold air from outside and Sugawara grumbles some more as he steps out, gesturing softly with his hands in explanation and Daichi listens to his “ _you have to treasure_ sleep”s and “ _honestly you don’t know how much you need it until you do_ ”s. He takes a witchlight from the lamp outside and makes it glow a bright white on his palm, following Sugawara closely behind.

Sugawara stops abruptly and turns around, staring suspiciously at Daichi with narrowed eyes. Daichi raises his eyebrows questioningly.

“What?” he asks.

“Why are you following?” Sugawara tilts his head.

Daichi snorts. “I’m walking you to up till the _torii_. I told you I’d walk you out.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah. There might be demons out there who knows,” Daichi jokes and Sugawara makes a face, smacking Daichi on the shoulder, making him lose his balance for a moment though he starts laughing. However, he loses grip on the witchlight and it falls on the ground with a thud, its light turning into a dim glow.

“I’m older than you, you know.” Sugawara says.

Daichi grins. “That’s right.”

“I eat demons for breakfast.”

“Hey now, so do I.”

 “And yet.” Sugawara retorts, smiling gamely.

Daichi chuckles, eyes not leaving Sugawara’s face. In the dim glow he looks like—there’s no other word for it—an angel. The ones that mundanes portray in their Christmas cards anyway. Daichi’s sure angels are not at all angelic in reality.

Sugawara’s cheeks are a little pink from the cold, his brown cat’s eyes are dilated and smiling, gray hair artfully tousled. Unlike the angels Daichi is used to seeing in books and cards, Sugawara’s perpetual devious air instantaneously gives way of how opposite he actually is than what he seems.

Still, he’s the only one Daichi constantly wants to reach out to.

“Hmm,” Sugawara hums to himself, looking down and bending momentarily to pick up the witchlight on the ground.

To Daichi’s surprise, there’s an immediate reaction. The dim white glow is replaced with an off and deep pulsating red light emanating most especially to where Sugawara’s fingers are touching.

“Don’t stare,” Sugawara chides him lightheartedly, smiling when he takes Daichi’s hand and drops the witchlight on his palm before letting go. Almost instantly, the witchlight glows a bright white once more.

“Oh!” Daichi says, hushed. He turns the witchlight in his palm, amazed. Witchlight don’t usually interact with Downworlders and mundanes as they are made of the same material seraph blades are made of. Then again, Sugawara is something else. “Another something you can do, huh?”

Sugawara smiles knowingly, touching the witchlight with his finger. Again, the surface he touches turns a deep red.

“Not really. More like a side effect,” Sugawara says.

Sugawara expects the usual repulsion once this is mentioned, the contemptuous expression Shadowhunters usually show as though he’s done something wrong. However he doesn’t get what he’s waiting for. Daichi is still staring interestedly at the glowing stone on his palm.

“Well…turning witchlights red doesn’t seem bad though I don’t think it can help you see in the dark clearly,” Daichi muses. “That’d be inconvenient when fighting.”

Sugawara pauses for a second. Then he bursts out laughing.

“What?” Daichi asks, disgruntled. “It’s true!”

Sugawara catches his breath, laughing some more.

“‘Inconvenient when fighting’?” he repeats, grinning. “That’s all you have against it?”

Daichi looks confused. “What else is there?”

Sugawara beams. “Nothing.”

Daichi chuckles. “It is like another one of your magic tricks.”

Sugawara reaches for Daichi’s hand again and this time he doesn’t let go.

_I’ve never loved a Shadowhunter before._

“I have another magic trick,” he says softly, taking a step closer. “Wanna see?”

Daichi shows him a brief smile and Sugawara answers by pulling Daichi towards him, capturing his lips with his own along with it the pleasant noise Daichi makes when he kisses him back, his hand carding into Sugawara’s hair.

Once more, Sugawara thinks _I’ve never loved a Shadowhunter before. Never been_ in love _with a Shadowhunter before_ but with Daichi here, warm and accepting, he’s willing to give up another one of his endless lifetimes.

They’re both smiling when they break apart, Daichi not letting go just yet and in this small moment they’re allowed to forget about demons and danger and being a Shadowhunter with a warlock is not a big gap to hurdle.

“You know,” he says. “This is your best magic trick so far.”

Sugawara laughs softly. “I always aim to please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> > "Taki's Diner" is an actual diner in the TMI universe hehe  
> > Sugawara is 2 months older than Ushijima actually also Daichi is a SNITCH  
> > u have to look up to Ushijima anyway bc hes tall af  
> > IMAGINE???? HALF-FAERIE HINATA!!  
> > Matsu(kawa)'s kanji means "pine tree"  
> > Nishinoya and Tanaka are parabatai, Shadowhunters who fight together as lifelong partners. they are definitely parabatai to me.  
>  _"Why are Matsukawa and Hanamaki not parabatai?"_ bc parabatais can't be together and i have a matsuhana bias hehe
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/crossbelladonna) | [tumblr](http://crossbelladonna.tumblr.com/)


	4. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I haven’t left since.”  
> “It’s a good thing you didn’t.”  
> Sugawara looks amused. “You do, huh?” They share a brief laugh. “How are you?”  
> Daichi looks at him with more seriousness this time. Eyes lingering on Sugawara’s gentle expression—his brown cat’s eyes he used to be afraid of, the mole under his eye, the tiny smirk playing on his lips.  
>  _We have this, all this for now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Sugawara believes you aren’t supposed to be this cheerful, trying to summon up an entity as he was ordered. This was serious business; he had locked Sugar in his room, draped white cloth over his furniture and had casted it all aside into one corner of the room with a flick of his hand so his living room space was empty.

However, he can’t help but hum a soft tune as he draws a pentagram at the center of the room, tiny smile lighting his face as he scrawls a rune on each point of the occult symbol that was very unlike a Shadowhunter’s.

After all, he’s still got Daichi’s sweet goodbyes in his mind and he can hardly help it.

Still, finally donning a more professional stance, he raises his arms and holds it over the pentagram and begins to chant an incantation he’s reading out of a book he’s holding with his other hand. Sugawara barely notices gashes opening up in his wrists and closing, his blood burning into a blue glow as it hits the floor.

He backs out of the star, still chanting and produces a page out of one of the demonology books Sugawara owns, the name of the demon he wishes to meet on the paper and he tosses it onto the pentagram, now burning slowly with blue fire.

The page is immediately eaten by the flames, completely disappearing and a few seconds pass after Sugawara finishes chanting. Then out of the burning symbol, a shape forms, momentarily showing its true image as a grotesque red being, almost ape-like with long claws and thick fur but the image shifts and the shape keeps rapidly moving and turning in on itself until it takes a more recognizable shape.

It finally stands, now on two legs, mimicking perfectly the face and body of human quite noticeably taller than Sugawara with large droopy eyes and red, spiked hair, clad in a violet suit so dark it’s almost burgundy.

When it speaks, it sounds fairly human too with a deep though lilting with a sardonic tone of voice, “ _Who summons the demon Satori?_ ”

Sugawara immediately thinks this is rather conceited—Satori is a yokai who can read into people’s consciousness, a mind-reader if anything. Yokai, however, weren’t necessarily demons though it’s pretty close.

Naturally, Satori hears all of this and he rolls his eyes.

“ _An evil spirit then,_ ” he says. “ _Whatever comforts you._ ”

Sugawara’s smile is not at all friendly.

“Get out of my head.” He tells him mildly.

Satori walks around the constricted space of the pentagram he can’t get out off, hands behind him.

“ _It’s better to read it than having you explain why you summoned me, isn’t it?_ ”

Sugawara twirls a pencil in one hand.

“You’re going to end up reading things you shouldn’t.”

Satori’s smile could be considered wide and pretty frightening if you were a normal person that is.

“ _I cannot do much when you’ve put a barrier in your head,_ ” he tilts his head. “ _Unfortunately for me since the best memories taste the most appealing._ ”

Sugawara is starting to dislike this conversation. Yes, he had put a barrier in his head beforehand. A tiny barrier done by easy magic, to prevent the demon from taking the most important memories he has on him.

“I summoned you,” Sugawara begins. “because I’m sure you know what’s going on with the other Institutes and I want you to tell me exactly that.”

Satori cackles. “ _You did not ask for a bargain, half-caste_.”

Sugawara’s mouth twitches at the slur.

“I don’t do bargains with things that belong to the void.”

“ _How very amiable of you,_ ” Satori says, smiling still. “ _and to think you’re a favorite son._ ”

Sugawara’s lips pull downwards.

“Jealous? I’m going to have to tell my father anyway that you are not answering my question.”

Satori very clearly hesitates, his image flickering for a moment revealing the true, ape-like image of him underneath, a clever glamour-like magic.

It’s times like these that Sugawara freely uses his perpetual blackmail material that is his Greater Demon of a father and though he keeps saying he’s going to tattle, he has no intention whatsoever of contacting that demon ever again.

“ _How very quaint,_ ” Satori says, not quite catching Sugawara’s lie it seems.

Sugawara is starting to get mad. He flicks a hand and the pentagram noticeably gets smaller and Satori squeaks, trapped in place and he sends a fierce, red-eyed glare to Sugawara’s direction who glares back at him as intensely as he does.

“Answer my question,” Sugawara tells him coldly, making a fist and for a second, the pentagram gets lit on fire.

Naturally, Satori lets out a shrill scream echoing thrice around the room much to Sugawara’s satisfaction.

Eventually, he gives in with a derisive laugh.

“ _Do you actually think we need reasons to start wrecking havoc? Why eat when you’re hungry? Sleep when you’re tired, cry when you’re sad?_ ” a wicked smile. “ _Look at old, aging photographs of the past when you’re lonely?_ ”

Sugawara feels an intense blast of fury that his hands start to shake. Satori continues on.

“ _We, of the void do not care for Nephilim’s peril. Or of mundanes. We take what we can with reason or not,_ ” he sneers. “ _I know about that Shadowhunter. You are foolish to love him. His life is merely a second long and soon you will forget again. If only you would join us in Pandemonium, you will never feel lonely—_ ”

Sugawara hisses.

“Get out of my _sight_.”

He thrusts a hand forward in anger and Satori screams one more time as the pentagram becomes even smaller until he’s squeezed into it so much and both the demon and the symbol disperse into nothingness.

Sugawara knows Satori isn’t dead. You cannot destroy demons completely—any action that might cause them to die in this world only catapults them back to the void.

Sugawara stares at his now empty living room, the center of the space smoking. Mechanically, he writes details of what he knows on a sheet of paper— _demons are instinctive, will act on their own accord. No one needs to tell them to do so._

He holds his hand up and he doesn’t watch the fire message send, the paper disappearing in blue fire.

 

*

 

“It is an imminent threat to our safety,” Mizoguchi says when they finally have a meeting again.

Following Sugawara’s summoning of the yokai, there’s been an even recent attack in the Institute in Seoul. Mizoguchi believes they might be after Tokyo—or even Sendai—next.

“The Sendai Institute isn’t very strong while I’m away,” Mizoguchi continues. “I can’t be away from it any longer, the borders need constant backing.”

Konoha is with them again and he leans forward, his wings folded neatly behind him.

“You have a half-faerie under your wing,” he states conversationally.

Mizoguchi sighs. “Yes, but Hinata Shouyou is no more than an amateur Shadowhunter. He will not be of help much.”

Kyoutani Kentarou, the local werewolf alpha, has finally joined the meeting as well and Sugawara notes he’s rolled his eyes at least three times in this conversation alone. He’s brought along his second-in-command with him and Sugawara thinks Yahaba Shigeru is definitely the one holding the chains here.

“I think,” Yahaba speaks now. “leaving would be a bad decision that unless you’re doing it as bait.”

All eyes turn to him in bewilderment. Sugawara smiles. He’s not wrong at all; Yahaba is definitely the keen one.

“What?” Mizoguchi huffs, baffled.

Yahaba pulls the reports towards him and Kyoutani eyes each of his movements.

“I’ve read it over and I can see a pattern,” Yahaba says, pointing it out. “The demons’ line of activity only happens once per Institute.”

“Indeed,” Sugawara coos and lists off the places listed in his copy of the report. “there’s only been once in Manila, once in Phnom Penh, once in Bangkok, once in Shanghai and once in Taipei.”

“They’re sweeping through nations,” Yahaba says. “It’s likely they’ll go after Tokyo next, as it’s the closest Institute from Seoul. It’s already a wonder they didn’t attack after Shanghai. They’ll ravage everything and move to the next. Once they get here, we might as well retaliate and send them back to hell before they can move on to somewhere else—even Sendai.”

“That seems sensible,” Ukai says.

“How sure are we that’s happening?” Mizoguchi grumbles.

“What else can we infer from this? They can appear anywhere, like Sugawara-san reported the demons move however they want,” Yahaba exhales. “We can lure them here with an open portal. They’ll be attracted to that for sure—they want to move to places after all.”

Sugawara smacks a hand on the table cheerily.

“I _love_ it when someone sees sense,” he grins.

 

Daichi thinks it’s probably wise not to see Sugawara at the moment knowing everyone is busy preparing their armory as ordered. The plans were relayed to them carefully, if not hastily though training has been molded into their system to understand hastily given instructions and quickly understand them.

Tonight, they’ll start preparations without knowing what the outcome will be. Either they will be fooled and the demons will go straight to Sendai after all or they will come, lured by the portal that will be opened.

Daichi shoves a stele in his thigh holster, stretching his legs and feeling the battle gear of black leather on his skin. Braces on his arms and the support on his back are marked with runes of protection and strength. Even his quiver and the bow strapped on him is now decorated with runes and unlike the other missions they’ve had, Daichi’s wearing his family crest, a ring with patterns of reeds circling the accessory.

The others are relatively quiet as they prepare though Nishinoya is bouncing around the weapons room trying to find daggers he likes.

Beside Daichi, Oikawa has taken out one of the adamas-gilded war fans from the cabinet and is waving it around.

“You better go see him now, you know,” Oikawa says, pretending to be preoccupied with his holster now and Daichi looks his way, understanding. “You might regret it later if you don’t. You never know what will happen.”

Daichi’s eyes fixes on the hsu quandao displayed on the wall. In his mind, he replays the memory nights ago. In that small moment, Daichi knows that feeling in his chest somehow. That fleeting feeling of forgetting about demons and problems existing and perhaps for once everything is okay.

Daichi relaxes and looks over to Oikawa again. Oikawa seems fascinated by his boots now, finger twirling his own family ring, other hand still occupied with the fan.

“What about you?” Daichi asks him and Oikawa raises his eyebrows, smiling.

“I promised if I live through this I’ll see him again,” Oikawa says. “I can’t see him yet—they won’t allow me to. Mundane and Shadowhunter relationships may be better now but not all the time.”

Daichi’s not very sure if he’s supposed to talk about this now but they’ve got no other time either way. Besides, they might live or die once this night is over.

“There will be better times,” Daichi says.

Oikawa exhales before finally nodding.

“Yeah,” he motions with his fan. “you go and see Suga. I think he’s strengthening the wards on the pillars outside.”

Daichi nods. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

“See you later.” Oikawa says before Daichi leaves.

 

On the way out, Daichi sees the others in different stages of preparation. Futakuchi, he sees, is twirling around a lance nonchalantly, almost hitting the stairway railing a couple of times. Matsukawa and Hanamaki are in deep conversation and Takeda is going back and forth the office and the library. For Daichi, this is not his first fight but each fight doesn’t always have the same outcome and it doesn’t give anyone reassurance.

He finds Sugawara by the gates, much to Daichi’s relief and he’s humming to himself, arms outstretched and blue sparks dancing in his fingers.  The sparks land on the gate, seemingly enveloping it like a border. Daichi stays at a safe distance away, just to be sure.

“Hello, Daichi,” Sugawara greets pleasantly without turning around.

“You sure have eyes behind your head.”

Sugawara chuckles briefly. “Three hundred years of this teaches you that.”

Daichi studies him for a moment. Sugawara has never seemed to be lost in thought, always knowing which way to go and it makes him wonder how many years of that has been ingrained to him.

“Have you always lived here?” he asks.

Sugawara’s fingers eventually go still and the blue sparks disappear though the very faint, shimmering border remains. He turns around, hands behind him and he smiles up to Daichi.

“Not at all,” he says. “In fact, I lived in the East Indies for a while—Indonesia back then. I travelled a lot of places too, as most warlocks do. Then I returned to Japan when Tokyo became the capital again.” Sugawara’s smile has more meaning than usual now. “I haven’t left since.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t.”

Sugawara looks amused. “You do, huh?” They share a brief laugh. “How are you?”

Daichi looks at him with more seriousness this time. Eyes lingering on Sugawara’s gentle expression—his brown cat’s eyes he used to be afraid of, the mole under his eye, the tiny smirk playing on his lips.

_We have this, all this for now._

He watches Sugawara tilt his head, wondering about Daichi’s silence and his expression changes into surprise when Daichi steps forward, even closer, cupping Sugawara’s cheek and he closes his eyes when Daichi leans down and their lips meet.

Daichi feels Sugawara’s hands on the back of his neck, fingers going into his hair and Daichi can feel his nails faintly scratching, can definitely feel Sugawara’s pleased smile against his lips.

Daichi doesn’t quite pull away.

“We’ll be fine,” he mutters.

Sugawara nods, hand pulling away and he reaches down to grasp Daichi’s hand, twining their fingers. He looks down when he feels Daichi’s family ring.

“Of course, Shadowhunter,” Sugawara says, exhaling and he turns to look at his shimmering handiwork. “It’s that or nothing.”

“Suga,” Daichi says, momentarily taking his hand away from Sugawara’s hold.

Sugawara looks back at him, raising his fair eyebrows.

“Hmm? What are you—?”

Wordlessly, Daichi removes his ring and takes Sugawara’s hand again, this time slipping the ring on Sugawara’s finger before he can take his hand away.

Sugawara is pretty startled.

“Daichi! What is th—”

“My promise,” Daichi grins and he sounds a little breathless. “that once this is over I’m still going back to you.”

Sugawara looks either frantic or disbelieving. Probably both.

“Are you sure you’re thinking this through this is your—”

“Yeah,” Daichi says simply and the words die in Sugawara’s throat. “It’s the most valuable thing I have and since you don’t have a picture of me you can hold on to that instead.” He utters a soft laugh. “Just in case.”

Sugawara’s breath catches, eyes stinging.

“Daichi,” he says.

Daichi smiles. “Yeah.”

Their moment ends when Asahi comes to say that the warlock doing the portal has arrived and Daichi turns to Sugawara in surprise.

“You’re not doing the portal?” he says.

Sugawara winks. “Nope.”

 

Daichi goes to greet the warlock helping them tonight before he goes to his assigned post and is surprised to see the warlock he’s seen before in Taki’s. The warlock with cat ears and a tail to match is staring up at him with golden eyes. He keeps tugging on the sleeves of his oversized shirt, so long it’s until his knees, self-consciously, tail curling around his leg.

Daichi nods respectfully. “Nice to meet you.”

“Daichi, this is Kozume Kenma,” Takeda introduces, as he does to the rest of them. “He’s the one who’s going to make our bait.”

Kenma is rather shy, it turns out, hiding away from Asahi and Oikawa after the short introductions and answering Oikawa’s enthusiastic questions with clipped phrases and brief gestures of the hand. Either way, Oikawa can be intrusive sometimes; Daichi can’t really blame him for shrinking away.

“The portal will open fifteen minutes from now,” Ukai tells them. _Midnight._ “but I want you in your assigned places. You know it starts when you will see the portal beam in the sky. Sugawara has placed borders around the Institute grounds so whatever comes in will not be able to get out. Best they end here than get out to the residential area.”

“Be wary of the demons,” Mizoguchi says, speaking up for once and eyeing his own Institute protégés meaningfully. “I’ve heard of the other attacks wherein Eidolon demons were a part of it. You know how they are. They mimic the face of people important to you; hopefully you are smarter than that.”

Daichi looks around to the rest of them. Tanaka and Nishinoya doesn’t seem to be very bothered by Mizoguchi’s warning albeit Tanaka is eyeing Ennoshita with faint worry in his eyes. The three of them will be stationed together towards the eastern grounds, up until the wards Sugawara had put in the forest.

Asahi, Hanamaki and Futakuchi will be staying up north, right at the gates where Sugawara is on standby and Daichi has a fleeting moment of envy, wishing he’d be there instead.

“Daichi, Tooru and Issei will stay west where the trees slope downward,” Takeda says and Matsukawa and Oikawa stride to Daichi’s side; Matsukawa grinning lazily, Oikawa looking slightly troubled.

“Are you okay?” Daichi asks him and quick as ever, Oikawa regains his composure.

“Don’t worry.”

“Mizoguchi-san, Takeda-san and Ukai-san will stay right here, apparently,” Matsukawa tells them both. “They have to protect the bait and all.”

“Are you okay coming with us?” Oikawa asks, turning to Matsukawa and scowling. “Makki will be at the front of it all.”

Matsukawa’s eyes flicker to Hanamaki who is currently laughing, trying to rile Futakuchi up most likely and Matsukawa shows a confident smirk.

“So will we,” he says. “we won’t know which way they’ll come from after all. Takahiro can manage, he’s strong. Besides,” Matsukawa rolls up his left sleeve to show Oikawa the permanent _parabatai_ rune drawn on his skin, identical to what Oikawa has.

_Whither thou goest, I will go; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried._

“I’m your _parabatai_ ,” Matsukawa says proudly. Warriors who fight as a pair.

Daichi smacks them both on the back gamely.

“Consider yourself blessed to have one,” he tells Oikawa who pouts, only making Daichi chuckle. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >'Satori' is really a mind-reading yokai and Tendou is really my son  
> > Second-in-command werewolf yahaba >:3c  
> > Choosing what family crest Daichi would have was difficult fam but I settled for reeds bc 1. Sawamura means "swamp village" 2. u know whats in a swamp??? REE DS
> 
>  
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/crossbelladonna) | [tumblr](http://crossbelladonna.tumblr.com/)


	5. Fireproof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi winces one more time as Oikawa peers at him.  
> “Better?” he asks and Daichi nods.  
> “Yeah. Can you help me up?”  
> Oikawa holds a hand up, standing himself and nearly lets go of Daichi when he hears the most familiar voice in the world.  
> “Tooru?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the chapter that squeezed all the strength out of me writing scenes with so many movements is dizzying,,,

_Cold_ , is what Daichi thinks when he hears the old grandfather’s clock clang from deep inside the Institute, a harsh sound signaling midnight.

 _Colder_ , Daichi thinks when he sees the bright blue light of the opening portal—

And then a sonorous clap, almost like thunder.

Then the noises come.

“But,” Oikawa almost stumbles onto a tree root. They look back uphill to look at the Institute and then back when they see a faint line just down ahead of them, slowly breaking apart. “The barrier—”

Then the swarm, eating at the barrier surrounding them, filled with smoke until it takes form—spider demons, large and shiny and black, with eight pincer-tipped arms and fangs protruding from their eye sockets.

 _Kuri demons_.

Another crash makes them turn and they hear a loud groaning noise.

“Is that—” Matsukawa utters in disbelief. “— _Forsaken?_ ”

They didn’t have to answer him to know he is correct. The Forsaken, huge and lumbering is now slamming against the barrier, making it crack at the seams and would only take another smack for it to break.

There is a reason why mundanes, are not allowed to receive runes of angelic origin. These Marks contain overwhelming angelic power and an unprepared mortal will be driven into agonizing pain and mindless, insane rage. It would turn them into monstrous creatures called Forsaken.

And it just about breaks the barrier with relative ease.

Immediately, they are surrounded by Kuri demons hissing and clicking their pincers menacingly and then the three of them are brandishing their weapons, hitting at whatever demonic entity is the closest with agile expertise.

Daichi’s bow strums with angelic power with each time he lets go of a bow, always hitting a Kuri right on the head and it disintegrating at his feet. Oikawa is jumping around, looking graceful as he wields two war fans as though he’s been handling them all his life. Matsukawa has several daggers on him at once, pulling them out at the same time invoking an Angel’s name with each dagger so that he seems to be glowing all over.

They are nearly entirely covered in soot and ash when they notice they are already being pushed back that they’re almost close to the Institute and they feel a sense of dread in unison.

“Don’t let them get in!” Oikawa screams though Daichi doesn’t turn back to look.

In the air is the sound of the clashing of holy weapons, the screech of demons and the brief bright light as another Angel is invoked.

Daichi almost crashes into Oikawa as he’s stepping back and he lets out a gasp as he faces him.

“Oikawa—”

Oikawa has his stele in between his teeth as he takes out several strips of white paper out of his holster—talismans.

“Daichi,” Oikawa says breathily and Daichi nods.

“We’ll keep them away from you.”

He speaks too soon; the Forsaken roars and comes surging forward, noticeably having several daggers stabbed into it.

“Daichi!” Matsukawa yells.

Daichi grabs at the seraph blade on his holster and pulls it out.

 “ _Sanvi!_ ” Daichi invokes and the blade glows, extending and he brings it down forcefully on the Forsaken’s front before he stabs it right on the chest.

The Forsaken yells shrilly before careening over, so fast that Daichi couldn’t move quick enough and it falls on him, dragging him down by the arm and Daichi utters a harsh gasp as he feels a pop on his right shoulder.

Oikawa makes a move towards him, horrified.

“Daichi—!”

Daichi clutches his arm, wincing as he struggles to sit back up. Matsukawa is nearly by him now, still pushing back the demons crawling forward.

“No—the talisman, now!” Daichi shouts.

Oikawa does as he’s told, holding out the strips of paper in his hand and throwing it up high, whispering incantations with two fingers pressed against his lips.

The talismans glow blue, characters writing themselves on the paper and standing upright, moving alongside in a line to create a new barrier for the west side of the Institute. All of it moves back, glowing brighter as each of it sticks onto the Institute wall.

The Kuri demons get distracted, attracted by the sudden glowing that they actually abandon Matsukawa and step over Daichi to get to the lights right behind Oikawa.

“They’re not very bright,” Matsukawa says mockingly, spitting out blood.

Daichi wants to scoff but his shoulder starts screaming in pain when he so much as move it.

The two of them watch anxiously as the demons walk around Oikawa who’s still chanting and one by one, take a snap at the glowing strips of paper.

It’s an immediate and loud reaction—their pincers get caught on the paper and it causes them to bloat and explode, screeching briefly as they turn to ash.

Matsukawa watches them die out passively, crawling towards Daichi, grunting too and noticeably clutching his side.

“Your shoulder,” he tells him and Daichi almost flinches at the reminder.

“I can take it,” Daichi lies.

Matsukawa’s already fumbling for his stele.

“A healing rune—”

Daichi shakes his head fiercely. Healing runes take time. Anything can happen in such short time.

“Push it back in place for me,” Daichi grits his teeth.

Matsukawa looks appalled. “What?”

“ _Just do it_ ,”

Matsukawa huffs. “Alright, fine.” He stands up gingerly and stills when a sudden blue light pierces the sky.

And then a harsh scream just as the last Kuri bursts into ash.

Daichi twists around to look. _Suga? The Portal?_

But Oikawa has his eyes open in horror and Matsukawa is looking unsteady on his feet.

“Hiro—” he chokes.

“Mattsun, go,” Oikawa says shakily.

A moment of confliction passes on Matsukawa’s face until Daichi inches towards him as best as he can and kicks him on the shin.

“Go, Matsukawa!”

It’s apparently the only push he needs because he nods stiffly and runs off with seemingly nothing else in mind.

Oikawa rushes to Daichi’s side, looking stricken himself.

“It’ll be fine,” he says and raises a hand though hesitant to touch Daichi. “Daichi, your shoulder…”

“Just help me push it back in so we can help them,” Daichi clenches his jaw. Oikawa nods, swallowing.

Daichi closes his eyes, grinding his teeth against the pain as Oikawa's cold fingers grab his wrist to steady himself and slowly pulls at his arm with steady pressure until Daichi feels a _clunk_ of the bone fitting back into the socket.

Daichi winces one more time as Oikawa peers at him.

“Better?” he asks and Daichi nods.

“Yeah. Can you help me up?”

Oikawa holds a hand up, standing himself and nearly lets go of Daichi when he hears the most familiar voice in the world.

“Tooru?”

The first thing Daichi feels is confusion and then surprise when Oikawa steps back, shaking his head. Then he sees the person standing right across them, looking severely out of place in his jeans and brown sweater and seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

 _The mundane_ , Daichi immediately thinks, gauging Oikawa’s reaction and though he has never seen him before, looking at him now with his dark spiky hair and sharp green eyes, he thinks, _it all fits somehow._

But then— _no it doesn’t._

“Oikawa,” Daichi says warily at the same time Oikawa whispers, “Hajime,”

Hajime—or at least what seems to be Hajime—looks relieved, relaxing.

“It’s me,” he says, taking a step towards them. “I was looking for you.”

Daichi twirls a new seraph blade in his hand as he watches the exchange. Oikawa is shaking his head again.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Oikawa breathes and his breath feels like ice.

Hajime tilts his head, scowling.

“We had things to talk about, didn’t we?” The scowl disappears and he shows Oikawa a smile. “We never got to finish things. They wouldn’t let you see me.”

 _No, no, no_ , the voice in his head screams but he doesn’t move.

Hajime takes a step forward and Daichi hurriedly invokes, “ _Lailah_ ,” and points it at him.

“Don’t move!” Daichi warns, stepping in front of Oikawa.

“Daichi, wait—”

Daichi looks back to him, exasperated.

“Oikawa, can’t you see? He’s only pretending to be Hajime it’s obviously a—”

Hajime is scowling again, glaring at Daichi unsettlingly.

“You chose them over me?”

Oikawa seems to be lost in his own world and hurt crosses his face once he hears Hajime’s words that he pushes Daichi aside exclaiming, “No! Hajime, listen—” only to be pulled back when Daichi holds on to his arm before he can dash forward.

Hajime tilts his head, sighing disappointedly.

“I should’ve known. I knew you wouldn’t give up your Marks for me. You’re a Shadowhunter through and through after all.”

Oikawa lets himself be pulled back by Daichi and proceeds to burst into tears.

“I told you I would!” Oikawa cries. “I would do it, but you wouldn’t let me. You wouldn’t let me do it but I couldn’t either I—I’m nothing without this life,”

Hajime has a blank look on his face and right as Daichi looks, the image of him falters for the brief split of a second, enough to know his hunch is right all along but Oikawa isn’t looking close enough, murmuring his explanations that pains Daichi to hear.

And with a flat voice that matches with his expression, just to rub salt in Oikawa’s wounds, the demon pretending to be Hajime says, “You don’t love me. Only the attention I give you.”

Oikawa’s sobs stills, horrified and Daichi hisses, having had enough and he throws his blade right at the demon with graceful accuracy and it stabs the demon right on the chest.

It doesn’t even move but it laughs maniacally, happy with the damage it did as it goes back to ash.

And all is silent; Oikawa drops on the ground, shaking and Daichi crouches down with him,  clutching his shoulders and giving it a shake.

“ _That wasn’t him,_ ” he assures him fiercely. “That wasn’t him Oikawa, you know it!”

Slowly, Oikawa nods though his shaking doesn’t cease.

“Not him,” he echoes.

Daichi nods encouragingly. “That was an Eidolon demon. We were told to watch out for them, weren’t we?” Daichi continues with the same tone of voice. “You know him better than I do, Oikawa I know you knew it wasn’t him the first time!”

 _But I couldn’t move, still_ , Oikawa’s hands curl on the earth. _That’s what nightmares are made of._

“I know, sorry.” Oikawa murmurs.

Daichi doesn’t move, waiting and Oikawa lets out a shaky breath. “Go help the others, Daichi. I’ll stay and hold the talismans in case more of them comes.”

“But—”

Oikawa shakes his head. “No. I’ll be fine.”

Daichi sighs. “I’ll take your word for it.”

A brief smile. “Thank you.”

 

*

 

 _So many._ Sugawara had anticipated it coming but still so many. It seemed to come from everywhere they look, corporeal, fast-moving black smoke with yellow burning eyes. _Iblis demons_ and they’re knocking on the barrier, slowly cracking it with each smack of its vapor, bauble-like head.

Then—“ _FORSAKEN!_ ” Futakuchi shouts and Sugawara falters, fingers crackling with blue sparks and he sees it coming, a large, lumbering body groaning pitifully.

Sugawara inhales sharply. _How did that get here?_ and his legs feels like lead.

“Suga!” he hears Asahi shout and it seems so surreal, the Forsaken is walking towards him—

Asahi collides with him, pushing Sugawara back and Sugawara hears him hiss, “ _Uriel!_ ” and his scythe glows with heavenly fire. Sugawara watches in horrified amazement as Asahi takes a large swing towards the Forsaken, concentration on his face making him seem to be blazing and neatly cuts it right into the chest.

The Forsaken roars as it falls to the ground, twitching, its wound glowing briefly and it freezes and doesn’t move again.

“Suga!” Asahi turns on him worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, it didn’t quite make it to me,” Sugawara flushes; he’s used to being in the position to protect people and is never usually the one needing to be protected.

“Thank goodness,” Asahi sighs in relief.

A sudden black cloud starts to materialize just behind Asahi’s shoulder and Sugawara’s eyes widen, holding out his hand now sparking once more with blue fire.

“Behind you!” Sugawara shouts and takes a shot. Asahi is obviously startled as the blue fire sails past the side of his head and right towards the Iblis demon which screeches as it disappears.

It isn’t the only one. Behind them is the beginnings of a big fight. Futakuchi is fending off the materialized Iblis that are trying to get to the entrance of the Institute. Hanamaki is just right in front of the steps.

Sugawara straightens, walking towards the center.

“Stay back,” he tells Asahi who nods and goes off to help Hanamaki.

Sugawara flicks his hands and concentrates them on the floor. The blue fire hits the grass and it starts to circle around him. Sugawara exhales and it becomes bigger, burning brighter almost like a summoning circle.

The light attracts the Iblis demons, similar to a portal and they move away from the others and right towards Sugawara.

“Sugawara-san!” Futakuchi starts towards him and Sugawara raises a hand warningly.

“Stay back!”

One by one they all swoop downwards and each time, with the snap of Sugawara’s fingers, they make contact with the blue fire and with a screech and a blinding glow of light they combust instantaneously.

However, Sugawara doesn’t get all of them and the others who are seemingly smart enough not to toy with the blue light scatter outward—back towards the Shadowhunters gathered, a whole cluster of them hurtling towards Hanamaki especially and Sugawara’s breath catches.

“ _HANA—!_ ”

An Iblis demon materializes right in front of Hanamaki, startling him that he couldn’t react immediately and he’s blown backwards right onto a pillar when the demon utters a scream.

“Hanamaki-san!” Futakuchi runs to his aide and Sugawara clenches his jaw in frustration, unable to help from where he is and concentrates on lengthening his reach.

With another gesture, licks of blue fire move in synchronization to the movements of his fingers and merely standing he’s able to grab at the demons out of his reach.

At some point, Sugawara sees another Shadowhunter appear, Matsukawa rushing to Hanamaki’s side. He realizes with dread that Hanamaki is unconscious albeit breathing.

Asahi kills the last Iblis demon and for a moment everything is silent save for Matsukawa and Futakuchi’s rushed words and assurances. Sugawara exhales slowly but his blue fire doesn’t disappear.

A good thing, it appears to be as suddenly, black shapes swirl around him. Asahi notices this in alarm, stepping forward until Sugawara shakes his head, confused himself.

 _Another demon?_ He thinks until the black vapors take shape, exactly seven of them though it looks like there are more. They’re circling Sugawara and for the second time, his breath dies in his throat when the shapes take a very familiar form.

Sugawara feels almost disconnected to his body as he watches very familiar faces smile at him.

“ _Koushi_ ,” they say. His ex-lovers, all of them he outlived. The men and women he once loved. But they survived, in his heart and in the photos that remain with him even until now.

“ _Why did you have to stay?_ ” they ask him and his blood freezes over. “ _You could’ve gone with us._ ”

“Suga, don’t listen to them!” Sugawara thinks he hears Matsukawa shout.

“ _It’s not fair, Koushi_ ,” they shake their head.

Sugawara clutches his chest, trembling. “No, I couldn’t—”

“ _You left us, Koushi._ ”

“ _Were you alone? Did it hurt? It’s just the same,_ ”

“No, _please_ —”

“ _Do you think you deserve it, Koushi?_ ” they step towards him, sad smiles on their faces. Sugawara wants to hurl. “ _Don’t you think of coming to us too?_ ”

He grips his hair, dropping to his knees.

“Every day, I think,” he sobs. “every day I wish for it.”

“Suga! Don’t listen—”

Laughter. “ _Koushi, come with us. End your sorrow. The Shadowhunters won’t give you happiness._ ”

Sugawara exhales, heart pounding. No, no, no.

And then a different voice, so heart achingly familiar that the ring on his finger almost burns, yearning for its owner.

“ _Koushi_ ,” Daichi says, in the voice Sugawara loves the most. Sugawara turns around and sees him among them—they’re the only thing he sees.

_No, not him, not him—_

“Daichi,” Sugawara breathes, dazed. In the background, his name is yelled once more but what would it matter? Nothing will change, he’ll still be alive in a hundred years or so.

Daichi’s expression falters, almost sad. “ _You will leave me someday_ ,”

Sugawara’s words come as sobs once again and he buries his face in his hands.

“I don’t want it,” Sugawara cries, peering from the tips of his fingers. “I don’t want it, I don’t want this,”

Daichi extends a hand towards him, smile almost serene.

“ _Come with us Koushi and you will never be lonely again_.”

Somehow, Sugawara remembers Satori’s words flashing to him: _Join us and you will never feel lonely._

Daichi wouldn’t—

“SUGA!” a voice piercing through everything else.

Sugawara moves his gaze away and he hears an audible _thunk_. When he looks back, the demon pretending to be Daichi has an arrow inscribed with runes right between his eyes, a sickening smile still on his face as it twitches before it crumbles to dust.

He hears a few more arrows sailing around him and then a faint screech and then the crumble of dust once more.

Sugawara doesn’t move, holds his breath and waits as the blue fire surrounding him dies down and hears the sound of footsteps towards him.

“Suga!” Daichi, _his Daichi_ , crouches down to him and takes hold of his shoulders, shaking him softly. Sugawara watches him numbly, looks at the way worry makes Daichi’s forehead crease.

“Suga!” Daichi repeats urgently. “It’s me, I’m real.”

Sugawara relaxes in his touch. “My Daichi,” he whispers.

Daichi practically sags in relief. “Yeah,” he breathes. “that’s me.”

Slowly, Sugawara reaches a hand towards him, touching Daichi’s cheek, leaning close that their foreheads touch.

“Thank goodness,” Sugawara says.

“I told you,” Daichi tells him, once again everything is right. “I’d come back for you. Here I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> action scenes are the bane of my entire existence i spend 50% of the time writing it rolling on my bed lmao  
> i thought Oikawa would be great with talismans he has that aura ahehe
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/crossbelladonna) | [tumblr](http://crossbelladonna.tumblr.com/)


	6. Winged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Suga,” Daichi says and Sugawara jumps in a start, blinking as he turns around.  
> “Oh, Daichi!” he breaks into a grin.  
> “The eyes on your back didn’t catch me?” Daichi grins.  
> “Sorry—was a bit distracted,” Sugawara says sheepishly.   
> Daichi walks towards him, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
> “I could tell. Is it normal to hold individual mope fests after winning a fight here?”  
> Sugawara bursts into soft giggles.  
> “Mope fest?”  
> Daichi points to the direction he came from.  
> “Oikawa was also staring off into space earlier though I quite understand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (lets out a loud whoop of joy)

They win but not without damages.

It turns out that the eastern grounds took most of the blunt of the demon attack and albeit they were not visited by the tricky and relatively annoying Eidolon demons, they were attacked instead by a monstrous Behemoth demon, large and slug-like much larger than humans and with double rows of teeth, it devours everything in its path including people.

It’s definitely something to be taken seriously as it demolished a great part of the forest in such a short time, leaving in its wake a large amount of slime. It’s already considered a miracle that Tanaka, Nishinoya and Ennoshita had come back to them in one piece, much more pretty much unscathed though there were found unconscious from fatigue.

The southern post remained pristine as though it hadn’t been attacked at all though it was as expected, what with the expertise of the three Institute heads right there. The warlock Kenma had apparently asked to be replaced from holding the bait open halfway though he remained to join the fight.

He was replaced by the warlock Daishou Suguru although Daichi met him quite briefly.

“It’s a pleasure,” Daishou had told them after the introductions, smiling slyly. His mark was evident as seen by his slightly green, scaly skin and forked tongue so that he seemed to be hissing every time he spoke. He didn’t stay very long to chat, saying Hiroshima needs him more than they do at the moment and Daichi can only assume he’s also a High Warlock of some sort.

They had received a lot of Downworlder help for the latter part of the attack. After the Eidolons came even more and Bokuto’s faerie court arrived just in time, and they guarded the skies as humongous owls in the treetops, swooping down on oncoming demons and easily tearing them apart.

Kyoutani’s wolf pack had stayed down the shrine steps, guarding from below and some of them had kindly stayed in human form to watch in case there was a passing mundane who needed to be directed away.

The Children of the Night did not participate as much, staying far as they cannot enter the shrine grounds anyway however Kuroo and his coven had made themselves known in stealthy acts of dragging away demons the werewolves had missed. They had left before sunrise without much of a greeting, fond of keeping to themselves.

It isn’t much of a surprise when the hall is suddenly full of injured parties, Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike, being treated right there or being moved to the infirmary and Daichi finds himself one of them, being fussed over by Takeda because of his injured shoulder.

Takeda ushers him onto one of the seats, grabbing his own stele.

“Do you need another healing rune, Daichi?” he asks all kindly. “You know broken bones take even more time to heal.”

Daichi lets out a breath patiently. “It’s not broken. It was dislocated. Oikawa fixed it for me.”

Takeda looks a little disapproving and somehow a little sad.

“You can never be too sure,” he says, gently and Daichi immediately loses his will to fight back so he lets Takeda do what he wants to get it off his chest.

His eyes roam around the chaos of the room as Takeda draws a Mark on him, trying to distract himself from the slight sting, looking for the familiar gray hair.

“Sugawara-kun is outside fixing the _torii_. It was quite destroyed last night,” Takeda says suddenly, somehow reading Daichi’s mind that he almost flinches. “Though you might want to go out of the east or west doors. The main door is still barred.”

Daichi fixes his shirt, staring at the torn hems of his pants, the rips on his knees.

“Okay,” he says.

“The west doors are closer,” Takeda prods some more, grinning and Daichi turns faintly pink as he nods wordlessly, fumbling as he stands.

Takeda waves at him cheerily as he goes.

 

The western ground of the Institute is a different picture from last night’s fight. Now with the early morning sunrise, Daichi can properly see the damage the demons had done to the trees, the claw and burn marks on the ground and the somehow grotesque fine coating of dust on the fallen leaves.

Quite oddly, he finds Oikawa sitting right in the middle of it, staring off into the distance. There are talismans scattered beside him though now just mere strips of paper. Anyone else watching would think he hasn’t moved from the same spot last night though Daichi swears he saw Oikawa in the hall sometime after the attack to get treated. He must have returned back here.

“Oikawa?” Daichi calls softly.

Oikawa inhales sharply, though quietly, in a start. He turns around, eyes wide and relaxes quite visibly when he sees who it is.

“Daichi,” he mutters, blinking before he smiles. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Better,” Daichi says, stretching his arm to show him. “Takeda-san cornered me earlier.”

Oikawa laughs. “I, you. He was quite persuasive.”

“That’s an understatement alright. The lowkey persuasiveness really gets you.”

Oikawa laughs again, nodding and Daichi exhales.

“How are you?”

Oikawa has a thoughtful expression on his face as he weighs on the question.

“I’m better now.”

“How’s Hanamaki doing?”

“He’s doing better now too. He broke his pelvis last night apparently but he’s making Matsukawa carry him around all demanding so I think he’s better.”

They share a laugh. Of course; Matsukawa indulges him the most. There’s a beat of silence following the laugh and they listen to the cicadas starting to awake.

“You do remember what I told you last night.”

Oikawa huffs. “Oh, I know, Daichi. I know. He wasn’t real,” he sighs. “he doesn’t call me Tooru if he can help it. I was just thinking of what he said.”

Daichi groans. “Oik—”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve learned my lesson.” Oikawa cuts off. “I’m going to see him today,” he says suddenly.

“That’s good.”

“Hmm,”

“You know,” Daichi says, smiling sincerely. “whatever decision you make I’m right behind you as long as you know what you’re doing. So think it over.”

Oikawa’s smile reaches his eyes. “Yeah. This is why I like you a lot.” He jerks a thumb towards the Institute. “Out of all those menaces at least.”

Daichi snorts. “Asahi isn’t a menace.”

“Hey, you’re right.”

Daichi chuckles, shaking his head. “Anyway, I’ll see you around I have to talk to—” he pauses when he sees Oikawa waving him away idly. “—yeah, you know.”

He walks off, smiling.

“Thank you, Daichi.” He hears Oikawa say.

 

He finds Sugawara at the _torii_ as he’d been told. The _torii_ looks fixed and new, now upright once more and a gleaming red. Sugawara is leaning against the right pillar, staring up at the sky dazedly and Daichi could only wonder if staring off into space after a fight is a normal thing around here.

“Suga,” Daichi says and Sugawara jumps in a start, blinking as he turns around.

“Oh, Daichi!” he breaks into a grin.

“The eyes on your back didn’t catch me?” Daichi grins.

“Sorry—was a bit distracted,” Sugawara says sheepishly.

Daichi walks towards him, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“I could tell. Is it normal to hold individual mope fests after winning a fight here?”

Sugawara bursts into soft giggles.

“Mope fest?”

Daichi points to the direction he came from.

“Oikawa was also staring off into space earlier though I quite understand.”

Sugawara’s gaze moves around his face, cat’s eyes dilating as he smiles. He reaches for Daichi’s hand and Daichi lets him, their fingers twining together.

“Do you want to join?” Sugawara teases.

Daichi rolls his eyes, squeezing Sugawara’s hand.

“I’d rather get you out of it.”

Sugawara laughs softly. “Always the hero,”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Daichi says.

“I’m sure,” Sugawara says carefully.

“It doesn’t bother me, those people in your pictures.” Daichi begins. “They’re your family in a way. I understand that as much.”

Sugawara’s eyes widen in surprise. “Daichi—”

Daichi tilts his head. “It doesn’t matter to me how many people you’ve loved before. I can’t expect you to be alone all those years here and I can’t expect you to be alone even after me.”

His hand is gripped tight and Daichi keeps smiling.

“It’s kind of selfish of me to just leave you alone when I’m gone if I think about it though I can’t really do anything about it but—”

Sugawara shakes his head fiercely. “Stop—”

“—I’d rather live my short lifetime with you.”

Sugawara has heard of this sentence over and over in all his years but it makes him happy each time. It always surprises him how easy it comes, how hard it ends. Each time is new, this time even different. There will be no next time.

“It’s long enough,” Sugawara says softly, lips curving up in a smile.

“Or you could dump my ass here and get yourself rid of the pesky Shadowhunters always messing up your business,” Daichi says, lightheartedly and Sugawara pretends to be surprised.

“Ah but why would I let go of my best clients?”

Daichi laughs. “You’re right. Bad for the business.”

The ring on Sugawara’s finger feels warm, full of promise and even more.

 _There won’t be a next time_ , Sugawara thinks again as he pulls Daichi against him wordlessly, wrapping his arms around him in an embrace.

“Suga?” Daichi wonders as he does the same.

“Yeah.” He doesn’t intend to let go soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so so it's done!! there will be extras to this (iwaoi, kuroken etc etc) watch out for them!
> 
> also, chapter titles are actually rune names!  
> Voyance rune for enhancing Sight  
> Remembrance rune for mourning the long gone  
> Talent rune for enhancing one's abilities  
> Promise rune for binding oaths  
> Fireproof rune for protection from fire  
> Winged rune for bestowing flight on objects
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/crossbelladonna) | [tumblr](http://crossbelladonna.tumblr.com/)


End file.
